


i didn’t have it in myself to go with grace

by coveredinsun



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Airbender Ty Lee (Avatar), Canon Divergence, F/F, Mention of Killing, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, and more canon divergence in the final agni kai, as you can see i have no clue how to use tags, but its just like a mission statement, it took a lot more effort than you’d think, lots of canon divergence oops, particularly in episodes s3 e14/15 the boiling rock, the boiling rock episodes, to try and weave this into canon, tysuki rights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:34:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 33,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25307587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coveredinsun/pseuds/coveredinsun
Summary: That night, Ty Lee did lots of meditating. It took her almost two entire hours to soothe out her aura, and even then it only reached a dark magenta. There were too many questions swirling through her head and not enough answers to silence them.It felt like a curse had been bestowed upon her. Airbending. She thought about the word. Picked and pulled it apart.It was bending. But it wasn’t firebending. No.She couldn’t use it like firebending, because it wasn’t firebending, it was airbending. Keyword: air.She could never practice with Azula. Not only would she be badly outmatched, Azula only practiced with other firebenders. Masters. Teachers.Ty Lee wouldn’t have a teacher. The words rang through her head: No one has seen one of you for a hundred years.
Relationships: Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar), Background Sokka/Suki (Avatar) - Relationship, Suki & Ty Lee (Avatar), The Gaang & Ty Lee (Avatar), background Mai/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 41
Kudos: 203





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> since i am obssessed with airbender ty lee and how it would affect the plot if it were canon, and i’m also a big fan of tyzula, i decided to combine them. i would also pay to see ty lee interact with the gaang (y’know, besides fighting) and have a friendship with all of them. especially suki. tysuki is something i can totally get behind. 
> 
> the premise of this fic (which comes later) was based off of a reply i got on twitter, so this was not entirely my idea. i DID expand on the original idea and weave airbender!ty lee into canon myself. 
> 
> tags will be updated as the story gets updated. and of course, comments and kudos are entirely optional but VERY appreciated. that’s it for now! hope u enjoy!!! :)

Azula woke to the sound of footsteps. Instinctively, she lit a small flame at her palm and looked around to take inventory of the space around her. Mai was still fast asleep just a few feet away, but Ty Lee was gone.

It was dark in Ty Lee’s home; a strange sight, to say the least. Far off from the way the candles usually lit the excessively lavish walls. Azula got up, careful to not make a sound (partly because she didn’t want to wake up Mai, but mostly so she didn’t make herself known to any potential intruders). She only made it a few steps forward before she saw a figure in the doorway. Azula froze. The figure was small, and skinny, and the more she examined it the more it looked like… Ty Lee? 

“Azula?” Okay. Definitely Ty Lee. But what did she have in her hands? “Why are you… what are you doing awake so late?” 

“I heard footsteps. I should be asking what _you’re_ doing up so late.” 

“Oh, um,” the nobleman’s daughter stammered, searching for an answer– a convincing one, at that. Azula may have been eight years old, but she wasn’t a fool. Unfortunately for Ty Lee, a convincing story slipped her mind. Besides, it would be horrible to lie to a member of the royal family. “I was getting candles.” 

Ty Lee knelt down to the floor and placed the candles down, their differing heights being of no concern to the little girl, in a half-circle in front of her. Then she sat and crossed her legs neatly. She didn’t need to say a word; the look on her face was clearly an invitation. Azula raised a brow before begrudgingly sitting down herself, allowing the blaze in her hand to go out for a moment. 

“Azula, could you light them for me?” The princess grinned at the opportunity, swiftly lighting the candle wicks. Once they were all lit, Ty Lee closed her eyes, the tension in her shoulders melting away.

“What do you need all these candles for?” Azula inquired.

“Meditation, silly,” Ty Lee answered without even bothering to open her eyes. “I had a nightmare. I don’t remember what it was, but I know that it was scary.” 

“I don’t see what that has to do with any…candles. Couldn’t you do it in the morning?” 

“I won’t be able to sleep if I don’t meditate for at least five minutes. My aura is too dark.” Ty Lee opened her eyes. Upon noticing Azula’s raised eyebrow, her eyes were shining bright with excitement despite their bland, grey color. “You see, Azula, when I woke up from that nightmare, my aura was a dark green, almost black! Meditating helps me to soothe it. As we speak I can feel it shifting.”

Azula was intrigued. The only person she had ever seen meditate before was her brother. But this seemed different than what she had seen the prince do. 

Firstly, the candles were organized differently. When Zuko meditated there were seven candles to represent the seven flames of Agni. The candles were set in a line, the shortest ones placed in the center, each set exactly six inches apart from the next. Not every candle would be lit at once, for some reason that Azula didn’t bother paying attention to.

Ty Lee had eight candles, and that left Azula wondering why she’d chosen that number. There didn’t seem to be any particular reason. Ty Lee’s were set more loosely. All of them were lit at once. 

Zuko always seemed so tense during all his sessions. To be fair, he was always going through firebending forms over and over and over again until he believed they were good enough to satisfy whoever would be watching. His body was always racked with nervousness. 

But Ty Lee was incredibly relaxed. Her posture was neat but not stiff. Every once in a while she would catch herself starting to slouch and correct herself, almost subconsciously. 

The most glaring difference was one thing: Ty Lee isn’t a firebender. Zuko only meditated before he had to showcase his firebending. He would go through tedious breathing exercises for hours– Uncle told him it would all help his bending. Clearly it didn’t, if he was fourteen forms behind his little sister. _That_ was pathetic. 

But Ty Lee didn’t do any of that, and Azula was almost entirely sure that auras didn’t exist, so what was the purpose? 

That was a question for another time. A couple minutes had gone by when the princess broke the silence between them. “What color is your aura now?” 

“Now it’s an orange color– maybe more like yellow.” As an afterthought, Ty Lee added, “You don’t have to watch me, Azula. You can go back to sleep. I should go back to sleep, too. I can do this again in the morning.” 

“How much do you do this?” 

“I used to only do it to calm myself down after nightmares, like right now. Until my sisters and I decided acrobatics would be _my_ thing.” The girl with the brown hair spoke softly as she blew out all but one candle. “Meditating helps me keep my aura soothed and that improves my performance. Ever since I started meditating a lot, I can jump really high, and fly through the air quicker, and go farther distances. I can also run really fast!”

Azula sighed, unwilling to pry any further. “Alright. If you say so. You’ll have to show me sometime.” Sarcasm seethed through her words, yet she was genuinely interested in her friend’s new skill. 

Ty Lee blew out the last candle and placed them all on a table beside the couch, and crawled back under the blankets she had abandoned. Azula crept back into her place, as well, but she couldn’t find it in herself to sleep. Too many questions. 

Despite all her best efforts to get it out of her mind, Azula knew this wasn’t all she’d see of her friend’s strange habit.

[...]

“Is it really _this_ important?”

“Yes, Mai!” Ty Lee exclaimed. “It is!”

“Ugh, just get on with it, Ty Lee,” Azula groaned. The three were in the royal courtyard near the gardens. Royal guards were strolling around the premises as well as Azula’s mother, Ursa. 

Eight-year-old Ty Lee had insisted both of her friends come and watch her exhibit some new tricks she had learned. Mai and Azula were mostly uninterested, yet still decided to attend because they had nothing better to do that day. 

“Okay, watch this!” Ty Lee called. The girls gave her their undivided attention.

Ty Lee ran to the tallest tree in the courtyard and received a confused look from the princess. She drew in a deep breath and focused. She looked up at the shortest branch that was ten– maybe even fifteen– feet above the ground. She exhaled and then jumped. 

Somehow, she made it up. She swung on the branch like what she had just done wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. Azula could have sworn she heard a _whoosh_ sound. It was mesmerizing, watching her swing about without a care in the world. _Maybe,_ the fire princess thought, _she could know that sort of freedom one day._

Azula was staring, Mai’s mouth hung open in awe, both of them trying to figure out what happened and how their friend reached the branch. Maybe it was a stupid thing to worry on; she’s an acrobat now, anyway. But it seemed…inhuman. Nobody should be able to do that, especially not an eight-year-old girl. Far off from the small group, Ursa had taken interest in what was going on. 

Ty Lee swung off the branch and landed on the ground unharmed, with a few flips through the air added in for pizazz. 

Mai broke the silence. “How did you do that?” 

Ty Lee shrugged. “I just jumped. I told you I could jump really high, Azula!” 

“Yes, you did. I didn’t think _anyone_ could jump _that_ high. Teach me how to do that!” 

Well, she couldn’t refuse a princess. She ran over to take Azula’s hand and brought her to where she had jumped up the tree branch. “Just...jump.”

Azula did so and barely got a foot off the ground, like usual. She tried and tried but never made any headway; the entire time, she was caught up in how delighted her father may be if she showed him she could jump as high as an acrobat with no training. 

Distantly, Ursa watched her daughter try four times before giving up. “Ty Lee, how are you doing that!”

“I don’t know! I’m just jumping!” Ty Lee answered. She jumped up again, and this time Azula felt… something. She felt colder. Like a fan, or a gust of wind. It was a mild spring day in the Fire Nation, maybe there was a breeze? That didn’t matter, she was determined– until her mother ruined it.

“Come here, Azula!” Ursa called. “I have something to show you.”

The princess rolled her eyes and obliged. “What is it?”

“Your uncle Iroh has sent us a letter!” the Firelady started, as a means to change the subject from Ty Lee’s…unnatural talent, “The Fire Nation’s siege of Ba Sing Se has just begun!” 

“I don’t care about some stupid siege,” Azula complained, “come back when they’ve burnt it all to the ground. I’m trying to figure out why Ty Lee can jump so high but I can’t. I don’t see how it’s fair.”

“It’s nothing to worry about, Azula. In the same way you’re gifted with fire, she’s gifted in the air,” Ursa began, her eyes nervously flittering from her daughter to Ty Lee, who was now sitting on the grass chatting with Mai, “She’s just…an acrobat. She trains to do what she had showed you. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before– and _you,_ Azula, you’re all the same. You’re well on your way to being a firebending master. Ty Lee has her gifts and you have yours. You need to accept that.”

Azula huffed. “Fine.” Then she trudged back to her friends. 

Ursa studied the little girl, the way she was so light on her feet. She never stomped when she was angry like Azula and she was always swift, never dragging along like Mai. She was loud in a soft way unlike Zuko. Fire Nation elegance had never concerned her. Ty Lee always looked so _free_. Not that Ursa had known that feeling in a very long time, but she had known it once.

  
  
  


[...]

  
  
  


“Zuzu!” Azula called, “Don’t forget, you’re hanging out with my friends and I tonight!”

Zuko rolled his eyes and groaned. His mother was forcing him to do this. None of the games Azula and her friends played ever interested him. But it was still an excuse to see Ty Lee and Mai. Ty Lee was kind to him and really funny. Mai was pretty, but a little bit boring. “Don’t call me that! How many times do I have to remind you, I’ll be there!”

“Okay! Just making sure!” The princess grinned. Her plan was unfolding perfectly. 

Zuko arrived at the palace gardens at five hours past noon, the time Azula told him he needed to report there. He made sure his mother was in view and his disinterest was written across his face when he opened the doors leading to the courtyard. “ _Alright,_ Azula, I’m here!”

Only Mai was there. She was sitting on a blanket (because she hated to feel blades of grass touching her skin) not too far away from the turtleduck pond. 

“Zuko? What are you doing here?” Mai looked away. Her cheeks bloomed a bright pink.

“Azula told me to be here. Is she late?” Dumb question. Azula is never late to anything. 

“Oh. I don’t know. Azula said that me, Ty–” Mai caught herself using improper grammar, a small mistake that her mother would reprimand her for because a lady always spoke properly, “Azula said that she, Ty Lee and I would play hide-and-tag,” Mai answered, still trying to hide how much she was blushing. 

Zuko didn’t know how to feel. Sure, he may have come for Mai, but didn’t even know if he liked her… like that. Yet still, in the back of his mind, it was sweet that someone around here didn’t despise him (his mother didn’t count). Without even realizing, he blushed too. 

“I guess I’ll sit while we wait for Azula,” Zuko gave an awkward smile. He sat next to Mai on the blanket. She refused to look at him– it would be too embarrassing. In his head he was trying to figure out what was going on. Azula wasn’t late. Azula is never late. So what was this? A setup…? That’s it! It was a setup! That made so much sense! 

Everything fell into place when Ty Lee and Azula popped out from behind some bushes, laughing wildly. 

“Look at you two lovebirds!” Ty Lee proclaimed. Knowing her, she was genuinely happy for her friends. Still, Zuko’s eyes stung with embarrassment. 

“Oh, Zuzu, lighten up! We know you like Mai! She likes you too, you should be thanking us,” Azula boasted. “We were getting so tired of you two doing nothing about it.” 

“Ugh!” Zuko groaned, swiftly getting up from the blanket. “I don’t even know if I like Mai that way. She’s pretty, but she’s boring! I can barely talk to her! _Mom!”_

As Ursa strolled over so nonchalantly it was _inappropriate,_ an idea hatched in Ty Lee’s mind. Maybe it was a bad one, but it was an idea. And hey, it would be funny.

Ursa was approaching behind where Mai had been sitting– her head was in her hands and she refused to face the situation, she found it easier to avoid the situation entirely– and both of the royal children were facing her. Ty Lee stood behind them and backed up before executing her plan. 

Ty Lee took a few steps back and did a quick inventory to see if any guards were looking (no guards were there at all) before putting her wrists together, straightening out her fingers, making space between her feet, and bending her knees ever-so-slightly, and then thrusting her arm forward, which in turn sent Zuko flying forward out of nowhere. 

Thankfully, Ursa had been close enough to catch her son in her arms. Not thankfully, that means she was also close enough to see– and _feel_ – what Ty Lee had done.

“What was that?” Zuko yelled. Immediately, he turned to his sister. “Why did you push me?” Push wasn’t the right word. He was familiar with that feeling: _push_ is when you feel a hand on your back, _push_ is feeling the force exerted from a certain point, one that you could pin down. This didn’t feel like a push, this felt all around him. This felt _everywhere._ This felt like a gust of wind and he was just a leaf going for the ride.

But none of that made sense. So _push_ it was. 

Azula only rolled her eyes. She hadn’t seen what caused her brother to suddenly fly forward, and she wasn’t very inclined to care. She did find it funny, but her mother would scold her if she giggled. “I didn’t do anything. Ask mom, I was standing right here. That means it had to have been Ty Lee.”

“Ty Lee? Did you do something?” Ursa interjected. 

The girl’s grey eyes were wide. “No, I didn’t– I never meant to hurt him, did I hurt you, Zuko? I would never–”

“That’s enough. It’s okay,” Ursa assured her, “Come with me. I need to talk to you.” 

A sny remark from Azula (something along the lines of _alright, Mai, you can look up now_ ) could be heard as her mother walked away with her friend. 

Ty Lee’s heart was racing. Oh, Agni, her aura was going to be all out of whack after this! Already she could feel it growing darker with panic. The Firelady led her to the perimeter of the courtyard, far away from where the rest of her group was. When she saw two guards nearby, she waved them off and they obliged. 

“Ty Lee, be honest with me.” Ty Lee quickly nodded again. “What did you do?” 

“I don’t know what it was, honestly. I’m sorry, it’ll never happen again. I’m sorry if I hurt Zuko, I’ve never tried the trick on anyone before. Not even on any of my sisters. Don’t tell my parents! I’ll never do it again, promise,” the little girl spoke and begged all too quickly to be thoroughly understood. 

The woman in front of her _did_ understand, though. “A trick?”

Ty Lee nodded a third time. “An acrobatics trick I learned! I swear on Agni it’s just acrobatics!”

“I think it’s more than that,” Ursa spoke, her tone gentle and increasingly soft and quiet. Her next words escaped her lips as a whisper. “I think it’s airbending.” 

Ty Lee’s expression was blank for a moment. Then it shifted rapidly, from confusion, to excitement, to dread, then to sadness, before finally settling on confusion. There were lots of questions popping up in her head now. “How?” 

“I have no idea.” The woman is front of her answered. She was not the Firelady in this moment, not a member of the royal family, not Fire Prince Ozai’s wife. Just a woman, who had told her some… news. It would take her some time to realize whether it was good news or bad. Already, though, it seemed to be leaning towards the latter. “But it’s a _gift._ You must think of it that way. No one has seen… _one of you_ in almost a hundred years. You should harness your power.” 

Gray eyes met amber. The little girl’s facial expression softened. She didn’t know what to say, so she said nothing, but politely. It was rude to ignore someone of high status. “Okay.” 

That night, Ty Lee did lots of meditating. It took her almost two entire hours to soothe out her aura, and even then it only reached a dark magenta. There were too many questions swirling through her head and not enough answers to silence them. 

It felt like a curse had been bestowed upon her. Airbending. She thought about the word. Picked and pulled it apart.

It was bending. But it wasn’t firebending. No.

She couldn’t use it like firebending, because it wasn’t _firebending_ , it was _airbending_. Keyword: _air._

She could never practice with Azula. Not only would she be badly outmatched, Azula only practiced with other firebenders. Masters. _Teachers._

Ty Lee wouldn’t have a teacher. The words rang through her head: _No one has seen one of you for a hundred years._

As strange as it was, she wanted nothing more than to talk to her sisters about it. But who was she kidding? Ty Woo would rat her out in a split second. Maybe Ty Lat would be okay with it, or maybe Ty Liu. Whatever. Ty _Lee_ didn’t have time to think about that. 

Maybe being part of a match set doesn’t sound so bad. Maybe then when she ran off to the circus, she could bring all of them with her. But maybe entertaining that fantasy was silly. She wouldn’t be able to show _anyone_ what she could do. She wondered what would happen to her if she got caught airbending one day.

Scratch that. She knew _exactly_ what would happen. 

  
  
  


[...]

  
  
  


Azula knew something was going on. She wasn’t stupid.

It was clear in the way her mother watched her friend closer. Clear in the way Ty Lee didn’t hang out with her friends as often anymore. Clear in the way she acted more skittish than usual around, well, _everyone_. Clear in the way she refused to show her friends any of her progress in acrobatics. Clear in the way her hands were always behind her back like she was afraid they had grown a mind of their own. It was strange.

It was also sad to see. Whenever Ty Lee wasn’t around, Azula found herself desiring to be in her company. She wished to see her progress in her acrobatics; she barely even _talked_ about it anymore. All she wanted was to see those grey eyes in sunlight again– they looked prettier every time Azula caught a glimpse of them. 

But then Mother had disappeared. Even an entire year after it happened, Zuko was always in his room– whether it be crying, wallowing, or occasionally meditating. His only friend seemed to be their pathetic, old, has-been uncle Iroh. Receiving letters from him was a common occurrence. 

Azula was never one to jump to conclusions. No, she never did that. _Zuko_ always did that, always connected things that didn’t need connecting. He took risks without thinking. It was idiotic at best. Azula worked with what she knew, and she didn’t take a risk unless the success rate was high. 

That being said, _sometimes_ coincidences just fell into the princess’ lap. The way she saw it, as long as you’re only thinking hypothetically, considering the consequences your actions will bring, and not acting upon impulse, it can be fun to connect dots that beg you to do so. 

So when Mother vanishes and Ty Lee immediately begins to act like her old self (somewhat), it’s obvious those dots are just screaming to be joined with one another. 

Ty Lee seemed on edge most whenever Zuko was there. Not because of _his_ presence itself; no, the two were actually good friends. Ty Lee could hold a conversation with him– unlike the lovestruck Mai– and could do so without hurling insults at him– unlike Azula. Ty Lee was most on edge after that day in the courtyard because wherever Zuko went, Mother followed. 

Something lingered in Azula’s mind. What did Mother say that day in the courtyard? Azula was familiar with being pulled aside and whispered to like that, but Mother was never so kind with her. Mother had never taken her hand gently and strolled far away so nobody else would hear; she had always scolded her where they stood, in front of as many people as possible. It was humiliating, and Azula was glad Mother was gone because that meant it would never happen again. 

On the bright side– a place Azula never looked to unless necessary, but now it _did_ seem necessary because so many changes were happening so rapidly– Ty Lee was laughing more now. She still refused to show Azula her acrobatics, but they hung out more often, more frequently without Mai. Just the two of them. 

This was one of those occasions, without Mai. The two were having a sleepover in Azula’s room at the palace, giggling at a joke the princess had told about some old general. 

It was late at night, but Azula felt safe. It was more than the fact that her room was on the third floor of the palace, more than how she had gotten praise from her father about her firebending earlier that day, more than how warm she felt under the covers of her bed. She didn’t have to think very hard to realize it was the girl in front of her that made her feel safe, she just knew it was true. 

As the two giggled, neither noticed the door to Azula’s room had opened.

There was a figure in the doorway. A guard. After a moment, Azula noticed. “Hello?”

The figure said nothing. Slowly, the princess turned to him. It was a man, and he was burly, tall too, and his hands were behind his back. Standard for guards that were on shift. Ty Lee turned her head, too, just in time to see him start slowly move toward the princess. 

Both of the girls moved off the bed, one on either side, positioning themselves for whatever may come next. 

The man continued to move towards the princess, paying no mind to her friend. Clearly he had deemed her no threat. That was his biggest mistake. 

He was a yard away from Azula (whose hand was behind her back now) when something glinted in the light the open door had provided. It was a dagger. Ty Lee noticed first, and quickly racked her brain with any acroba– _airbending_ moves she knew. Unfortunately, she didn’t really know any.

“For the fall of the Fire Nation,” he muttered, just loud enough for Ty Lee to hear as he unveiled the dagger. Azula had conjured a flame in her palm and was grinning widely, reveling in this moment. “For _balance.”_

 _Whatever,_ Ty Lee thought, _if this fails...well, it can’t fail._ She stepped back, winding up her arm. 

The moment Azula began to bring her hand up to man and her flame along with it, Ty Lee threw a punch which not only sent a gust of wind towards the man, but one so powerful that it extinguished the princess’ small flame. 

The man flew towards the wall, hitting his head against it and subsequently hitting the floor, unconscious.

Ty Lee had never seen her friend so utterly _shocked_. Usually there was frustration or anger accompanying it, but not this time. This time it was only disbelief written on her face. In a moment’s notice, Azula took that feeling and put it in a box, trying her best to return to her usual demeanor. 

Azula’s tone screamed _unimpressed_ as she said, “Well, if you’re going to try to assassinate me, at least make sure there are no witnesses. Agni, that’s foolish.” 

Ty Lee giggled as Azula called in a few real guards to pull him away. It would be silly to assume that man would even be alive in fourty-eight hours. 

When everyone was gone, the princess hopped on her bed and her friend followed suit. Azula turned to look at her. “Now, I have to ask. How did you do that?” 

Ty Lee panicked. “Do what?” 

She knew it wasn’t good (it was borderline treason) to lie to a member of the royal family. But this meant Azula saw it. Agni, Azula probably saw everything! She figured her out! But she couldn’t admit to airbending, no, that was the worst case scenario. If she admitted to it… she _couldn’t_ admit to it.

 _Deny, deny, deny._

“You know what I mean, Ty,” the princess rolled her eyes, “I know _I_ didn’t slam that guy to the wall next to me. What did you do?”

“It’s nothing, Azula. Don’t worry about it,” the nobleman's daughter told her, “it’s nothing.” 

“It saved my life,” Azula lied, “I should know what it was. Promise I won’t tell anyone if it’s that bad.” 

_Deny, deny, deny._

“You had it under control,” Ty Lee assured. “It’s a cool skill I picked up. Nobody’s done it in a while, and it’s kind of rare, like chi blocking. But it’s nothing. Nothing at all.” 

“Fine, if you say so,” Azula rolled her eyes once more. “Although, I don’t think it had anything to do with my mother, did it?”

“What? No!” Gray eyes were glossy as Ty Lee’s voice wavered. _Deny, deny, deny._

It was worth a shot. So that’s how it would be– Ty Lee was going to be stubborn. _That_ _was okay,_ Azula thought, she could deal with stubborn. Zuko had such a one-track mind it was ridiculous. Sooner or later, the princess would figure it all out. She would figure out what mother had said in the courtyard, and why her friend no longer enjoyed showing off her acrobatics, and maybe even why Mother vanished. Not that it was at the top of Azula’s priorities but, hey, if Mother’s departure was a consequence of this _scheme_ , then she’ll wear the shoe whether it fits or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the wait for the next chapter won’t be too long i promise :) BIG THANKS to my beta reader mia (@songbirdinacoalmine !!) she is so smart and u should follow her too.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The princess looked up. “What is it, Father?”
> 
> “You know of your good friend, Ty Lee?”
> 
> Azula nodded, becoming aware of the small lump growing in her throat.
> 
> “I want you to kill her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hopefully i did azula justice :) enjoy the teensy tiny bits of pining here and there

Ty Lee had spoken to Zuko just three days before his banishment.

It was odd to compare the person he was then to the person he was now, three years later. It seemed as though all his pre-existing traits had been heightened: He was still impulsive like he always was, but he was moodier now. A _lot_ moodier. He was never one for jokes, but now he never even _tried_ them. What rattled Ty Lee most was the way he slightly guarded his left side to everyone (Mai being the only exception), probably subconsciously. It was no wonder why. 

The Agni Kai and the prince's subsequent banishment had been the talk of the town in the weeks succeeding it. At least among high nobles, anyway. They wouldn’t dare start a conversation with the Firelord himself about it, though he sometimes brought it up. He was _proud_ of what he did, and although Ty Lee would never say it to his face, that disgusted her. 

Azula barely talked about it, though. She laughed along whenever her father spoke about it, but generally preferred to steer away from the topic. Whenever nobles asked her about how she felt about her brother’s banishment, the response she gave them was so redundant it seemed rehearsed: _Please. Zuko is weak and shameful. He got what he deserved for dishonoring us._

Ty Lee had only heard her say it once or twice, yet it sounded… fake. She had said it the exact same way to two different nobles (which she never did, because toying with nobles was one of her favorite activities). If she had really meant what she said, she could talk about it for an hour. Azula was a master in adjusting her voice to accomplish her goals, but Ty Lee was versed enough in navigating her friend to hear the whispers of sorrow buried below her words.

Ty Lee had run off to the circus a year after Zuko’s banishment. She was twelve years old. Maybe it wasn’t a good decision (her parents despised the idea), but the circus gave her plenty of practice. Never had she felt so appreciated than when the crowd would cheer as she zoomed through the air, flying through hoops and swinging on trapezes and walking on tightropes. She was never scared up there because she knew she could always break her own fall. Not to mention the circus had set rehearsal and performance hours, and they let you do whatever you wanted in between as long as you stayed on schedule. Ty Lee took a lot of opportunities to meditate during those free hours. She felt confident doing what she knew, but there was a desire for _more_ in the back of her mind.

That desire had manifested itself as Azula returning to visit her. Ty Lee was delighted to be back in the princess’ presence. Okay, sure, she didn’t really _want_ to help Azula chase down the Avatar or bring down her uncle and Zuko– it was a rather boring job if you don’t count the occasional fights that would break out between her, Mai, and the Avatar’s friends– but it isn’t like she had a choice. How could she refuse a princess? How could she refuse _Azula?_

Ty Lee didn’t get to meditate very often while on the move with Azula and Mai, but that was okay with her as long as she got in enough time to soothe her aura at the end of every day. That was a _big_ relief. Every day would take a toll on her aura. 

By the time Ba Sing Se had fallen, Ty Lee was incredibly impatient from not being able to use her airbending on the mission. The Avatar was an airbender, so surely his friends would notice if she did the same thing as him (kinda). If they noticed it was airbending at all, that is. Besides launching herself off vertical surfaces with ease, landing unnaturally gracefully on those same surfaces, and jumping higher than no nonbender ever should, Ty Lee’s techniques were unrefined. To be fair, that’s all she ever _needed_ to use.

Lots of times she had wondered what it would be like to have a real teacher. To learn advanced techniques. To learn different stances, to move through katas with a rhythm only a master could pass on. It was a dream, but it was _so_ far away. It was barely even possible. There was only one other person in the entire _world_ who knew how to airbend, and she was hunting him down! Not on her own accord, but it’s not like he knew that! Agni, why did it have to be _her?_

Going to Ember Island was one of Ty Lee’s favorite days in a very long time. It was comedic, to say the least, to watch Azula try and flirt with boys. (Nobody had taught her the ways of girl code– _that_ was saddening.) There was definitely another emotion mixed in there, one Ty Lee couldn’t place. It wasn’t anger, it wasn’t frustration…okay, _maybe_ there was a little bit of frustration. But that wasn’t it. 

Was it jealousy? 

…No. Dumb thought. How could it _possibly_ be jealousy? What would Ty Lee be jealous of, the way those two strands of hair framed Azula’s face so perfectly? Or, what, the way her eyeliner had been done so perfectly all on her own? Or maybe the way she looked without her topknot and hairpiece, the things that marked her as _royalty_ , in favor of a casual look? Agni, maybe Ty Lee could be jealous of the way the party’s dim lights hit the amber of her eyes! And she could be _jealous_ of the way she’d rather be hanging out with some loser boy who didn’t like her for who she is! 

Okay, actually, maybe there was a reason some loser boy felt like that. Azula could be a bit much. You just gotta dig deep to get to her, you know? You have to _know_ her. And nobody knew Azula better than Ty Lee. 

Okay. Yeah. It was jealousy. _Great._ On the bright side, it’s not like Ty Lee isn’t experienced in keeping secrets by now. 

Ty Lee enjoyed talking around the campfire– for the most part. Zuko yelling and criticizing her made her heart race, and not in the good way at all, but she was able to keep her cool for a time. She’d rather personally sacrifice herself to Agni than admit the title of _circus freak_ hurt coming from Zuko. Other than that, it was nice. Getting things off her chest smoothed her aura and made her feel tranquil. Most importantly, it made everyone around her feel _real._ She, Mai and Zuko had all put their two silver pieces into the conversation, but Azula had stayed silent almost entirely. Until her brother prompted her to speak. 

“I don’t have sob stories like all of you. I could sit here and complain how our mother liked Zuko more than me, but I don’t really care,” the princess said. Then she looked to the fire. “My own mother…thought I was a monster…”

Ty Lee looked away to roll her eyes, deciding whatever came after that wasn’t very important. She knew that wasn’t true. As far as the nobleman’s daughter was concerned, Firelady Ursa was a kind woman. She often reprimanded her daughter, yes, but it was out if love. She corrected her on things a lady should and should not do, or what a _princess_ should and shouldn’t do, and things a _decent person_ should and shouldn’t do. Case in point: burning the doll your uncle Iroh sent from the warfront? Not something a decent person– let alone a princess– should do.

Besides, Ursa had kept Ty Lee safe. The thought of being given away by her made Ty Lee shudder with fear. For all she knew, one big slip up would be all it took for the Firelord’s wife to decide she doesn't want to see her daughter’s best friend anymore. She was a kind woman, absolutely, but it was treason. And treason is... treason.

But then she vanished, along with the chances of that situation playing out in reality. It was a relief. 

The entire day on Ember Island had been amazing. Spending a day at the beach was not something she thought Azula would _ever_ agree to, but hey, anything can happen on Ember Island. Ty Lee never saw herself agreeing to crash a party, but it was fun, swinging from one chandelier to another, seeing the horrified look on that loser boy’s face. (Okay, scratch that. The part with the face wasn’t so fun; Ty Lee started to feel bad for him. Nevermind that, though, because she had been itching to perform some circus-related acrobatics.)

She loved it at Ember Island. Her aura was incredible. So, naturally, it _had_ to have been bad energy getting back at her when Ty Lee went to sleep in her own home in Caldera City and woke up in an unknown place. It was dark, and there were no windows, just a single door to get in and out. 

Calling _hello?_ wouldn’t do anything and she knew that. So, she would do what any sensible person would do, and she meditated. 

Unfortunately for Ty Lee, meditating always led her to thinking about _it._ Airbending. And then it dawned on her. 

  
  
  


[...]

  
  
  


“That will be all,” Father spoke, and an old general left his presence. Azula was waiting outside the curtains that lead into the throne room. She waited a few moments before entering. 

“What did you need me for, Father?” Azula inquired as she kneeled before the throne. 

“I have a mission for you to carry out.” 

“You know my loyalty lies only with you and the Fire Nation,” Azula’s head was bowed as she wondered what task _she_ was needed for. The Avatar was dead as far as she was concerned. If he wasn’t? Zuko was familiar with shame. The Fire Nation had conquered all areas of the world, save for the Northern Water Tribe. But those peasants weren’t worth the effort– whether the war was won was contingent on the status of Ba Sing Se. The Impenetrable City had fallen, though. So what did Father need?

“I’m well aware, and I’m prideful of your accomplishments, Azula. The war is all but won because of you,” Father boasted, “I have one final task for you before victory is secured.” 

The princess looked up. “What is it, Father?”

“You know of your good friend, Ty Lee?” Azula nodded, becoming aware of the small lump growing in her throat, “I want you to kill her.” 

Azula’s eyes widened ever so slightly, so she furrowed her brows, looked to the floor, and hid it. “May I ask _why?”_

“An _anonymous_ _source_ brought to my attention the treachery your friend has committed again the Fire Nation,” Father answered. “Azula, your friend is an airbender.” 

This time Azula didn’t bother trying to hide the shock on her face. It was genuine. The floodgates had been opened, and pieces of evidence for such a bogus claim were all popping into the princess’ mind. 

The tree…Zuko…that- that assassin, it all made sense. Ty Lee had used _airbending_ all those times _._ The meditation, the speed, the agility, oh, it all was coming together. No wonder why Ty Lee stopped exhibiting her acrobatics progress: she knew this would happen. 

Azula didn’t do this very often. But just for a moment, she thought about how Ty Lee may have felt. She imagined the weight she carried, the guilt, the secrecy. Azula knew these things; she knew them like the back of her hand. But she had learned to keep her mind off it and eventually forget. Like a scribe burning the scrolls he had been writing on every ten minutes. But Ty Lee never burned any scrolls. It was expected of her, as a lady, to be consistently honest, to act like there was not a care in the world. It had never occured to Azula that she _needed_ to lie, because every day meant life or death for her. 

Azula took a deep breath. “No. I refuse.” 

Father rose an offended eyebrow. “You… _refuse?”_

“I refuse,” the princess repeated, searching her brain for the words Father would most like to hear. “Killing Ty Lee doesn’t sound like it would serve any good to the Fire Nation.” 

Ozai stood up, and instead of flinching, Azula curled her toe inside her boot, a habit she had picked up whenever she felt scared. “How _dare you_ refuse your Firelord? Agni above, bless me so that my second child doesn’t emerge as a _failure_ , too. After all you’ve done, _this_ is where you draw the line: defending a _traitor._ You’re beginning to sound like your brother. Tragic.” 

“I’m not defending her. You said it yourself, the war is all but won. Father, at least get somebody else to do the job. Or perhaps banish her. Ty Lee does not deserve such a terrible fate. She’s been loyal to the Fire Nation, loyal to _you,_ her entire life.” Azula pleaded, fear clearly present in her voice. In her heart she knew Ty Lee never agreed with the war. She didn’t like to see anyone die, no matter who they were. That was a confession from when they were on the road, hunting down the Avatar and his group– Ty Lee _didn’t care who_ wins the war, as long as it ended soon. Azula was barely listening, but still enough to read between the lines. 

Father’s expression shifted to a wicked grin. He had hatched an idea, and it was not a good one. Azula could guarantee that. “You’re right. Your friend does not deserve to be forgotten so quickly. Such a fate would be wasted on the Fire Nation’s first and last _airbender._ She doesn’t deserve to be killed privately by you, her best friend… a liar.” 

“Liar? How? I’ve told nothing but the truth.” He wasn’t wrong, and Azula knew that. Many false claims had escaped the princess’ lips with varying degrees of truth. But this meant something else, this cut deeper than any accusation the princess had faced. Because it was from Father. 

“Agni had blessed me with _you_ as a child, to make up for _other mistakes._ You’ve exhibited nothing but strength…until now. Your loyalties are not just with me or the Fire Nation; they’re with your friend, too. You’ve lied to me. I’ll be merciful with you– you’re too valuable to waste. So I’ll give you _one_ chance to redeem yourself. Should you raise a hand at me, you’ll cease to have hands.” 

Azula closed her eyes. She _wasn’t_ lying, not entirely, when she had said Ty Lee was loyal to the Fire Nation. There was nothing _against_ that claim. After all, she was at the heart of the successful infiltration and coup of Ba Sing Se.

Unfortunately in the Fire Nation, you’re guilty until proven innocent. 

“On the day of Sozin’s Comet, you will hold an execution. You’ll make an example of Ty Lee… and yourself. Until then, she’ll be locked away somewhere where she can’t escape. A place where you’ll never find her.” Father paused. “If you refuse this, or dare to meet with your friend and tell her of your mission, you’ll meet standard punishment for _treason._ Understand?” 

“I understand.” 

“You’re dismissed.” 

Azula grappled with the idea as she left the room. Azula had been surrounded by death– that’s the nature of war. It never occurred to her Ty Lee was just as vulnerable to it as anyone else. Ty Lee had always seemed untouchable; so resilient; she seemed able to bounce back from anything. And yet the princess knew that death was the one thing that you couldn’t bounce back from. It was the most final thing in existence. 

Ty Lee dying was a horrid thought. Azula had done a lot to push the thought of herself dying out of her mind, but the concept of one of her best and only friends falling victim to it seemed foreign. It seemed impossible. Azula would never see her again, never observe as she braided her chestnut hair again, never look to those gray eyes again. Never speaking to Ty Lee again sounded like a nightmare. The thing that made it _worse_ is that Azula had to do it, she would have to look at her for one last time and _know–_

She couldn’t think about that. 

  
  
  


[...]

  
  
  


Azula did what she needed to on the Day of Black Sun, and that was to the Avatar. It was what Father needed her to do, too simple and easy a task to ignore.

“So, Sokka’s your name, right? My favorite prisoner used to mention you _all the time._ She was convinced you were going to come rescue her. Of course,” she laughed, “you never came, and she gave up on you.” 

The princess had intended for them to be empty words. And they were, for a little bit– they meant nothing to her. They were designed to carry out a purpose, to do their job and then dissipate into nothing. 

And that’s what they were, for a brief time. Before the eclipse was over, she had closed off everything and restricted herself from worrying about anything other than when the eclipse was over. Already she was planning which moves she would do, which forms to move through. Fighting the earthbender would be fun; she posed the greatest threat.

As she taunted and mocked them, she thought of nothing except defeating them– then, it just meant delaying them for a few minutes. Their pitiful bunch they called an ‘invasion force’ stood no chance against the warships. Azula retreated with dignity after a short fight; she knew today was a victory for the Fire Nation the moment her firebending was restored and the Avatar was still in her line of sight.

After every battle, Azula took a moment to collect herself, to come down from the adrenaline high that was standard for any good fight. She took this time to reflect on her performance. She attempted to remember everything as best she could as she played it back through her mind two, three, four times. She patted herself on the back and reprimanded herself accordingly. _That form was imperfect,_ she would think, _but that other one was textbook. Excellent._ It was a routine she liked, one that pleased her father as a child and quickly became a habit. 

As she replayed the scene in her mind, those words didn’t seem so empty anymore. 

Again and again they rang through her head. _Favorite prisoner… mention you all the time… convinced… going to come rescue her… gave up on you._

She didn’t want to think about it. Agni, of all the times she’d been able to push things to the back of her mind, why couldn’t she do it now? Of all the things she _could_ be worrying about, why did it have to be _her?_ She hated this, and she wanted to speak to Ty Lee more than anything. But she couldn’t. Ty Lee was far away in the highest security prison. It would take months to locate her. Even then, it would look like treason if Azula went to see her. Agni, it _was_ treason! Any punishment she suffered at the hands of her father would be deserved. 

Many times Azula had wondered how Ty Lee had ended up in this situation– how long it took for someone to turn her in as an... airbender. More importantly, she needed to know _who_ did such a thing. The thought of Ty Lee having enemies was bizarre; everywhere she went she only ever treated others with kindness. She had befriended the Earth King’s _bear,_ for Agni’s sake. 

_I should have known,_ the princess would stare up at the ceiling at night, _I should have known something was going on since that day in the courtyard, when Ursa pulled Ty Lee aside._

At that moment, for the first time in a long while, those dots were reconnected.

_Ursa._

Ty Lee always looked so nervous around her. She held her hands behind her back and acted extra polite. She refused to do so much as simple cartwheels around Ursa. Once, Ty Lee had gone home earlier than planned because she sensed bad energies. Ursa had been watching them that day, monitoring Ty Lee more closely than the others.

When Ursa vanished, Ty Lee acted as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Azula finally understood why. 

The only simple conclusion is that Ursa _knew_ of Ty Lee’s airbending, and her disappearing meant no one left to turn Ty Lee in. That means that _Ursa_ was at fault for this entire debacle. Of _course_ she was! Ursa was at fault for so many things! 

Ursa’s words had influenced Zuko– they had made him defective. She encouraged his pitiable firebending progress and scolded Azula for hers. She encouraged him to speak his mind and look how that turned out! He got branded and banished for it. She had deprived him of everything he needed to become who he was supposed to be– the crown prince.

Now Zuko had run off to join the Avatar after spewing nonsense to Father during the eclipse. It couldn’t be any clearer that Ursa’s words had tainted his mind. 

There were two things Azula was sure of. The first being that Ursa was behind the airbender situation. Undoubtedly.

The second being that Azula wasn’t going to allow _any_ more lives to be ruined by her mother– which meant she couldn’t kill Ty Lee.

  
  
  


[...]

  
  
  


The princess had waited until the war meeting that day was over. All she needed was _confirmation_ that it was Ursa behind all this. It all made perfect sense. 

The war meeting had been largely uneventful, save for Father's outburst when some general informed him that they didn’t know where the Avatar– and now, Father’s traitorous son– were located. The outburst was sudden and surprising. If Azula hadn’t known her father as well as she did, she would have flinched. But she knew better than to show such a sign of weakness. 

Apart from that, the meeting went as well as could be expected, seeing as the Fire Nation had all but claimed victory in the war. News of suppressed peasant uprisings in the Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se were music to Father’s ears. Had he not been in a relatively good mood, Azula would have chosen to press for information concerning her friend’s punishment on a different day. 

“Father, something has been on my mind,” the princess said as she kneeled down. “It’s about my friend, Ty Lee.”

“How dare you call her a _friend!”_ Father raised his voice. He never raised his voice at Azula. Until now, apparently. “She is a traitor to our nation, and you’re no better if you refuse to see her as one.” 

“Yes, Father, I–”

“Don’t interrupt me. I wasn’t finished.” His voice commanded silence. Azula knew better than to break it. “Azula. Your ambition is like none I’ve ever seen. Determination and _power_ are what make a good firebender, and an even better heir to the throne. You know this.” 

“I do, Father.”

“Your mind was always so tactical– it was a striking quality when you were just a child, and it remains so. You’re calculating and _cold._ That’s what makes you so worthy of the throne.” 

Azula nodded. 

“Yet I fear you’re warming up. You– my daughter, my heir, my _blessing from Agni–_ have kept a perfect balance between warmth and cool. The warmth, the _drive_ your inner flame provides, holds a perfect contrast to the cold, the _cunning_ needed for your position.” His expression crept into a smile. 

The princess knew where this was going. First praise, then shame. She had seen this tactic performed on Zuko a thousand times. 

The cruel grin on his face melted. “I fear that you’re warming up, Azula. You have a soft spot for that _traitor_. It’s clear as day. Should you act upon your treasonous thoughts, I will not hesitate to bring you justice. Your brother got _lucky…”_ The words he spoke were ones Azula never believed she would hear. A chill ran down her spine when he finished, 

“…If you prove to be weak, you will not be so fortunate.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you everyone for all the love i’ve gotten on this so far!!!!! i love u all sm mwah
> 
> this chapter isn’t my favorite because most of it is somewhat irrelevant to the central conflict (aside from that conflict ITSELF being introduced here). but i still think it’s necessary to drive their characters home because they’re canon complimentary, and i also just like writing ty lee so yeah :)
> 
> anyways REAL canon divergence begins in book 3 (which is detailed here at the end of ty lee’s section, but really goes buckwild during the end of the boiling rock) so the real stuff is starting soon trust me. super excited to show u so just stay tuned!!!!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What does Father want out of me?” 
> 
> “Zuzu, I’m insulted!” Azula put her hand to her chest dramatically, ”I came here on my own accord. Besides, I’m not here for you. I couldn’t care less about what happens to a traitor.” 
> 
> Zuko couldn’t tell if she was lying. He couldn’t tell which was scarier: Azula truly didn’t care, or she did.
> 
> He pushed that thought aside. He needed to know what she wanted. Because that’s why she was there, after all– she wanted something.
> 
> “But you do care about Ty Lee.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m bad at writing maiko dont @ me, also tysuki rights. BOILING ROCK TIME

Ty Lee woke up the unpleasant feeling of wood scratching against her arm. She was sitting upright, in a space just long enough for her to straighten her legs. Her neck ached, likely from the way it had fallen forward and rested on her chest as she slept; her hands were tied so tightly against her back that she could feel the rope breaking the skin of her wrists. When she lifted up her head, the first thing she saw was a guard standing at the other end of…wherever they were. They were standing there, facing away from Ty Lee, as if waiting for something to come in view. 

She looked around to get a grasp on her surroundings. The walls, which were so short that she wondered if _wall_ was the right word, were made of wood. Above her was red, it looked like a… balloon? Something like that. Against her right shoulder was gray metal, above that an array of mechanics, in the middle of which was a metal hatch; it was closed. 

Most importantly, she could see that where the walls ended there was blue. Were they in the _sky?_

“Uh, hello?” Ty Lee called. The guard turned around.

“Oh,” groaned a woman’s voice, “you’re awake.”

“Yeah. Can I ask, um, where are we?”

The voice replied casually. “We’re in a war balloon.” 

Ty Lee had heard of their plans to replicate the war balloons created by the man that operated in the Northern Air Temple. She didn’t know his name, and she only had a vague idea of how the war balloons worked, but they were fascinating. Especially now, up close.

She wanted to look outside. Ty Lee got on her knees and attempted to stand up (while receiving a _hey!_ from the guard), but then the floor shook underneath them and Ty Lee leaned too far forward for her liking. So she fell to her knees to avoid falling out of the war balloon. The rope twisted around her wrist and she winced in pain.

Her hair fell in front of her face, and she blew it out of the way as she collected what she knew. 

Okay. No moving. War balloon. 

Come on, she would need more information than _that._

“Where are we going? And why are my hands tied up? And what day is it? Do you have a _name_ I can call you? And–”

“Alright, Tootsie, slow down.” The guard sighed. “You don’t need to know my name. You’ll never see me again once you arrive at our destination.” 

“Wow, what a shame! If you don’t mind me asking, what’s our destination?” Ty Lee had realized she probably seemed far too perky for the situation she found herself in, though she wasn’t very inclined to care.

“The Boiling Rock.” 

Ty Lee’s gray eyes went wide. “The Boiling Rock? Isn’t that only for the Fire Nation’s most notorious criminals? I’m not dangerous! What are they throwing _me_ in for?”

The guard rolled her eyes. “I have no fucking clue, Tootsie. I’m just supposed to take you there. Now will you shut up?”

Ty Lee pouted. She hadn’t spoken to anyone in days, and she probably wouldn’t have the chance to for a very long time. _No way_ was she passing this up. “How are you keeping this thing in the air? It needs hot air, are you a firebender?”

“Yes. Aren’t you?” the guard sighed. She sounded exasperated. _Please._ Talking to Ty Lee couldn’t be _that_ insufferable.

“No. I am a bender, though.” Ty Lee smiled when the guard furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. _She looked like an earthbender if you studied her enough,_ the guard thought _._ Regardless, no elements were up here in the air; this girl was helpless. The guard decided not to press further; this chick was going to prison. It wasn’t her problem. 

There was a silence after that. It lasted for a while, until Ty Lee broke it. “So how long until we’re there? My hands don’t need to be tied up this tight. They hurt really bad.” 

In reality, the guard didn’t have much of an idea how long it would be, but she assumed it couldn’t be too long. They had already been flying a few hours when Tootsie woke up. Just to stop Tootsie from talking, she replied, “Not too much longer.” 

Didn’t work. “Why do my hands need to be tied up anyway? Do they think I’m gonna jump out of the sky?”

“I told you, I have no idea. You were already tied up when they gave you to me.” 

“Hmph.” Ty Lee would cross her arms dramatically if she could. She didn’t speak after that. 

The rest of that day was okay. It wasn’t the worst day in Ty Lee’s life, ironically. 

They arrived at the Boiling Rock, and Ty Lee was escorted to her cell, deep within the building. So deep it was underground– it felt like it, at least– which only made it harder to think about anything other than ways to cool herself off. 

Ty Lee had known she was caught airbending. She didn’t know how, when, or by who, but she knew she had gotten caught. She racked her brain recalling every little memory. She didn’t use airbending when she traveled with Azula and Mai; how could they possibly catch her if she wasn’t doing anything?

Ty Lee sighed. It was after breakfast. The air in the cell was sweltering hot and unbearable stuffy. Since there was no window to go off shadows or look outside, the daily meals were her only way of telling what time of day it was. Her only sources of “entertainment” were stretching and braiding her hair over and over again.

It took five days for them to even let Ty Lee out of her cell. She wasn’t allowed to go in the courtyard unless she was handcuffed– she didn’t like the sound of that– so she decided mopping floors and other forms of manual labor weren’t so bad. The fact that she even had a _choice_ was a privilege.

One day, maybe a week or so after she had arrived at the Boiling Rock, she saw a familiar face. Well, okay, the face itself wasn’t familiar. But the shoulder length brown hair definitely was. So were her eyes; they were purple. Ish. Purple-ish. Ty Lee had never seen purple eyes before hers. 

It was the Kyoshi Warrior girl. The one Azula had bragged about besting in combat.

Ty Lee approached her, mopping a few feet away. She smiled. “Hey.”

The girl raised an eyebrow. “Hi...?” 

“Remember me?” 

A look of confusion ran across the girl’s face. Slowly, as she examined Ty Lee, the expression became that of a realization. Then it shifted to anger. “You’re the girl that ambushed my group.” She raised her voice. “ _You’re_ the reason I’m in here.” 

Ty Lee retracted just a bit, her heartbeat growing louder in her ears. She took a deep breath, because she knew this girl’s anger was justified. After all, she was right; Ty Lee _was_ the reason she’s in here.

“So you do remember me!” Ty Lee realized she was being overly optimistic and loud, and toned it down. “I’m sorry about that, by the way. I didn’t really have a choice.” 

The girl scoffed and replied sarcastically, “Yeah. Sure.” Then she returned to mopping. 

“No, really! It’s true! Why do you think I’m in here now?” 

The girl– Ty Lee really had to get her name soon– rolled her eyes. “You Fire Nation people have so many motives. How am I supposed to know you’re not just in here for intel or something?” 

“That’s an awful lot to go through just for some intel. Look, the one I was travelling with threw me in here. I’m trustworthy,” Ty Lee pleaded, “You have to take my word– what’s your name?” 

The girl huffed. “Suki.” 

“I’m Ty Lee. Nice to... meet you?” 

Suki pursed her lips. “Got it.” 

Then Ty Lee was ordered back in her cell. Something in the back of her mind felt guilty for not taking advantage of her freedom. Before all of... _whatever this is_ happened. Maybe she should’ve taken more chances to airbend. Maybe if she knew she was gonna end up in prison regardless, the thought of getting caught wouldn’t be so scary. 

Ty Lee had lots of time to think. Her most important conclusion was that chaining up her hands was a small price to pay if it meant she could be out in the open courtyard.

There, she saw Suki again. She was scanning the courtyard absentmindedly.

“Psst, Suki!” Ty Lee whisper screamed. 

“Ty Lee?” Suki said. Fortunately, she was a lot less angry than last time. “I didn’t think you would talk to me again.”

“I didn’t think I would either! They never let me out of my cell, let alone out in the courtyard,” Ty Lee laughed. “Besides. I think we’ll be here for a while, so we might as well make the most of it. Shall we turn the page on a new chapter?” 

“Alright. Not like prison my go-to place to mingle.” Ty Lee giggled at the mediocre joke. Suki paused for a moment and then continued. “I thought about what you said, not having a choice and all. Sorry about that. Those girls seemed unbearable. Especially the one with the blue fire and shit– how is that even possible?” 

“Oh, Azula?” It had been weeks since Ty Lee had seen her. She wondered how she was doing. It would be stupid to think Azula missed her; Azula didn’t _miss_ anyone. But it was a nice thing to think about. “We have a history.” 

“I’ll bet. Didn’t you say _she_ threw you in here, though?” 

“Well, I don’t know who did _exactly._ But she’s the princess, so if she wanted me out, she’d find a way to get me out, you know?” Suki nodded. 

“You know, speaking of _getting out,_ I should tell you– don’t be surprised when I,” she leaned in and whispered the next part while grinning, “break out of here.” 

“What? Nobody’s ever done that!” Ty Lee exclaimed. “Oh, I mean… I didn’t– I know that you’re very agile and really good at fighting and stuff, but there’s only one of you and–”

“Somebody’s coming to get me, Ty,” Suki sighed in adoration, although Ty Lee didn’t have a clue who she could possibly be thinking of, “I don’t know when, but he’ll come. I know he will.”

Ty Lee looked to the ground. That level of certainty must be nice. “How do you know?”

“Hm…I just do.”

Ty Lee wondered if anyone knew she was gone. Her sisters probably knew– Agni, Ty Woo would never let her live this down– and her family probably did, too. She wondered if they knew about her airbending or if they had been told she was in prison for some other reason. Probably the latter. But that did pose another question: Who else knew about her airbending? Did Mai? Did Zuko? 

…Did Azula know?

There wasn’t much time to think about that. Suki was snapping in her face. “Earth to Ty Lee…” 

“Huh?”

“I was asking why your hands are chained up. I’ve never seen that happen to anyone.”

“Oh, yeah,” Ty Lee only narrowly dodged the question, “They never let me out into the courtyard without restraining my hands.” 

“Huh.” Suki crossed her arms. Her expression made it clear she was in thought. “You’re not a bender, are you?” 

“No, I’m not.” Ty Lee found it was easier to lie than explain. “But I’m, uh, kind of _renowned_ for my acrobatics, you know? Flips and stuff. I traveled with the circus. And the princess. I know the royal family really well. You know that. Um, the guards probably know me, too. I could probably escape right now if I tried, so, uh,” she gestured to her handcuffs, “no… _acrobatics_.”

Acrobatics? Agni, she felt like she was eleven years old again. 

It didn’t take a fool to know she was lying. Ty Lee was a terrible liar. Hopefully Suki wouldn’t press her about it.

Suki cleared her throat awkwardly. “So. Tell me about the circus.”

“Only if you tell me about the Kyoshi Warriors.”

“You really want to know?”

“Yes. Maybe we can…trade some knowledge? You tell me about the Kyoshi Warriors and I’ll tell you about the circus. That way we have something to talk about. Deal?” 

“Deal.” 

Then they talked for another forty-five minutes before their courtyard time was over.

Suki liked this girl. She didn’t support the war, much less her nation’s part in it; she wasn’t lying when she said she had no choice. Her tales of the circus were wildly entertaining, as obvious as it was that they were being exaggerated. It was comical to watch her gesticulate wildly (much like someone she knew) with her hands restricted. She barely acknowledged the handcuffs; she worked with them, used them to her _advantage._

Eventually, after Suki had asked, she began to explain chi-blocking. Her warriors had never seen such a thing and were baffled by it. They settled on the notion that Suki would get some lessons if they ever got out of there. 

They spent the next two weeks growing closer, learning of their families and their backgrounds. Suki, an only child, was taken aback by the idea of having _six identical sisters._ She had briefly seen the way Katara and Sokka bickered, and a lot of her fellow warriors had siblings that she had knew herself, but the way Ty Lee described her household sounded like a nightmare– even if she insisted Ty Woo was the only one worth worrying about. 

The more they talked (and demonstrated some moves if the guards weren’t looking), the more Suki grew to like an idea that sprouted in her head the third time they had talked: when Sokka came to get her, they would take Ty Lee with them. Her agility would be useful, and Suki wasn’t sure if she would be able to forgive herself if she left her new friend. 

  
  
  


[...]

  
  
  


Very often Zuko could find himself wondering, _how did I get into this situation?_

Ironically, this one had one of the easiest explanations of all of them. One that didn’t start with, _well, one time when I was thirteen…_

This time it was simple. Joined the Avatar’s group. Avatar’s friend, Sokka, wants to break into prison. (Okay, seriously, who breaks _into_ prison?) Zuko won’t let him do it alone because that would be suicide. They break into the aforementioned prison. Simple.

The corridor that the girl’s (what was her name? Oh! Suki!) cell was on was quiet. Zuko could hear everything they said. Man, he would really have to let Sokka know how thin those doors were. 

“Sokka!” she exclaimed. “It’s you!”

“The other Kyoshi Warriors, are they here?” 

“No,” Suki answered, “I don’t know where they are, they threw me in here because I’m the leader. But there’s this other girl, she only gets let out of her cell every few days. Her name’s Ty Lee. You might have met her before.” 

“I don’t care. I’m here for _you,_ Suki. You won’t be in here for much longer– I’m busting you out.”

Anything else said after that fell on deaf ears. Ty Lee? Like, circus-freak-with-a-lot-more-going-on-in-her-head-than-you-would-think Ty Lee? Why would she be held with the Fire Nation’s most dangerous fugitives? She could be dangerous, sure, but she wasn’t a _criminal._ In fact, she was a _war hero_ to the Fire Nation considering the part she had in the infiltration, coup, and subsequent fall of Ba Sing Se. So why would she be _here?_

Maybe Zuko would have time to ask her. Maybe–

Zuko’s entire train of thought had been interrupted when a guard asked to step inside Suki’s cell. Like the impulsive dumbass Ozai always hated, he began to fight her, slamming her into the wall and painfully distorting her arms. 

Then (ex?) Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation was caught disguising as a measly prison guard.

Improv skills. Bullshitting. Acting like a real guard. Add those to the list of things that needed improvement. 

Sokka told him, while unconvincingly pretending to beat him up, to meet him in the courtyard in an hour. Then Zuko was brought to see the Warden. He didn’t care much at all about what the Warden had been saying. Until he mentioned _her_.

Mai.

Agni, he’d _completely_ forgotten about her in the blur of the past few days, save for that moment on the war balloon with Sokka. Zuko didn’t _miss_ a lot of people, but he missed her. He missed that raspy voice of hers, the way it fell to a whisper whenever they were alone. He missed the way her lips only curved into the slightest of smiles. He missed the way she pretended to be irritated by him, the way she always pouted to conceal a small grin. He missed the way her eyes met his and read him like a book. Azula did the same thing, but it wasn’t the same. Azula searched for weakness in hopes to exploit them. Mai never wanted to do such a thing. All she wanted was the best for Zuko– there weren’t too many others who fell into that category. 

Now that the Warden– her _uncle–_ knew he was there, it was only a matter of time until she would arrive there. Probably with company. 

Unfortunately for Zuko, he didn’t have time to sit around and dread the moment he saw his ex-girlfriend next. 

He barely understood the plan as Sokka explained it to him. Slowly but surely, it became easy: Make a diversion. Get sent to cooler. Unscrew cooler from the wall. Roll cooler to shore. Take the cooler as a boat to shore. Go home. 

The plan was about to work. Four of the six steps had been successfully completed. Both Suki and Sokka looked unsure about their decisions. 

It made sense for _Sokka_ to be unsure; earlier Zuko had told him that there were going to be no new incoming war prisoners, and just before now they had heard there _were_ Water Tribe prisoners coming in, and still Sokka had no idea if his father would even be one of them. The expression he looked at Suki with a few times was that of sadness, like he was trying to decide between his father and her. 

Eventually, with some nudges in the right direction, Sokka made his choice. 

What Zuko _couldn’t_ figure out was Suki. Her expression had read similarly to Sokka’s, but her eyes told you there was no choice to be made– she wanted to stay.

When Sokka decided to stay for his father, Zuko couldn’t help but notice a small grin spread across Suki’s face. He could have sworn he heard her mumble _Ty Lee,_ but Sokka didn’t react so he probably made it up in his head or something. 

Zuko decided not to bring it up. After returning to their cells, he wondered how Ty Lee could have possibly ended up in this place. Every scenario reached a dead end. Ty Lee wasn’t a traitor. 

The next time he saw Mai, he knew there was nothing he could say to change her mind. There was nothing he could say that would convince her the sake of the world was more important than her nation.

“Mai, I never wanted to hurt you. But I have to do this to save my country. To save the _world.”_

“Save it? You’re betraying your country.” Mai was angry now, despite her habit of not showing it. Her voice didn’t match her face when she got angry. “First Ty Lee, then you? It’s like the only person I can trust is _Azula.”_

Zuko closed his eyes and sighed. “That’s what it looks like. But that’s not the way I see it.” 

Mai mumbled her final words. They were barely audible even to the boy standing two feet away from her. “I would expect no less from a traitor prince.”

They stood in silence for a while. Even though it was only them in the room, it felt as though there were ten thousand eyes on them. Once or twice, they made eye contact. You could cut that tension with a knife. Other than those moments, the tension expanded and contracted like a steady breath, each of them prepping to say something and then never following through. 

Mai’s arms were crossed the entire time. Her face was locked in an aggravated expression until it wasn’t. Her face softened into something akin to mild shock. Zuko didn’t have time to turn around before a voice started speaking. That didn’t matter anyway; he didn’t need to turn around to recognize that voice. 

“Ugh,” Azula groaned, “I missed all the juicy bits, didn’t I?”

Mai answered first. “Yes, you did.” 

Zuko didn’t bother to face his sister before asking, “How long were you waiting for us?”

“Hm, I’m not sure. Couldn’t be more than half of an hour. I would say I’m surprised you two lovebirds managed it, but I know neither of you have ever had a _way with words._ Especially you, Zuzu.” 

Not a day went by where the prince didn’t think of his actions at that war meeting, but he decided to ignore the taunting. There were bigger issues at hand.

 _Couldn’t be more than half an hour._ Zuko remembered what Sokka had told him: _Meet me in the yard in an hour._

Azula broke his train of thought. “Mai, could you leave us alone?”

Mai obliged without a word, though it was obvious to both the siblings she had something to say. Zuko waited a few minutes before initiating the conversation. 

“What do you want?” 

“Lighten up! I just wanted a little something out of you.” Azula idly fiddled with her nails.

Zuko rolled his eyes and plopped into the singular chair in the room. “Like always.” 

“It’s not my fault you’re the epicenter of the Fire Nation’s hottest gossip,” she looked up at her brother, ”you’re the talk of the town.”

“I have been since I was thirteen. You know that. Now what do you want?” 

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Classic Zuzu, always thinking he’s the one in control. You haven’t changed a bit. Haven’t you learned _anything_ since we were kids?” 

Zuko paused. All he had to do was waste time. “You haven’t changed at all, either. Sometimes I miss the days when we were kids. You used to be _nice..._ but those days are long gone. Remember the last time you were _actually_ nice to me?”

Azula raised an eyebrow ushering him to answer. She didn’t mind a sentimental rant– she believed she had all day for this. 

“You were eight years old. We didn’t know it, but it was our very last yearly trip to Ember Island…” Zuko paused again. Partly for dramatic effect, partly to waste all the time he could, and partly to think of what he would say next. “Do you ever miss those days?” 

Azula stared at him for barely a second. It was barely noticeable, but a hesitation nonetheless– all the reason to believe her answer was yes. Then she rolled her eyes while she sighed to mask how real it was.

“There’s no point in dwelling in the past, Zuzu. I think _you_ of all people would know that.” Then she rubbed her left eye as if something was in it. Azula always did love mockery. 

“Well, someone told me once that the past can be one of the best teachers.” 

“I don’t care for any of Uncle’s half-witted proverbs.”

“It wasn’t Uncle that told me that.” 

“Doesn’t matter. I assume you’re aware Uncle broke out of jail? It’s funny, really. He breaks out, you get in.” 

Zuko didn’t say a word. She was toying with him; playing her favorite game. He was determined to win, just this once. Let it be a draw, at the very least. 

Azula only continued talking, beginning to pace, a slow rhythm in her step. “How _did_ you get in here, anyway? The Warden said you were disguised as a guard. I can’t figure out _why,_ either _._ Thinking decisions through was never your strong suit, Zuzu–”

“Don’t call me that–”

“–but wow. You’ve really outdone yourself this time. It’s almost worthy of applause.” Azula stopped behind the chair and to the right a few steps, nearly leaning on the wall. 

It was the beginning of a pattern. Azula would expect a response and only get silence. They stayed silent for Agni knows how long before Zuko spoke up again.

“What does Father want out of me?” 

“Zuzu, I’m insulted!” Azula put her hand to her chest dramatically, ”I came here on my _own_ accord. Besides, I’m not here for _you._ I couldn’t care less about what happens to a traitor.” 

Zuko couldn’t tell if she was lying. He couldn’t decide which was scarier: Azula truly _didn’t_ care, or she did.

He pushed that thought aside. He needed to know what she wanted. Because that’s why she was there, after all– she wanted something. “But you do care about Ty Lee.”

Azula returned to fiddling with her nails. “No, I really don’t.”

That was a lie. Zuko knew that much. That’s why he said that, why he chose Ty Lee, specifically– if Azula had the capacity to _care_ for anyone, it was her.

“Although, speaking of Ty Lee, you wouldn’t happen to know where she is, would you?” 

“Why would I tell you? Get one of the guards to do it.” Distantly, Zuko could hear the sound of other doors opening, of far away footsteps. Lots of footsteps. They came closer.

“Well, I _could,_ but they would just tell me. That’s too easy. You know there’s nothing I enjoy more than a _challenge.”_

“There’s nothing wrong with backing down, Azula.” 

She scoffed. “You must be joking.” 

“I’m not,” her brother said as he looked her in the eye. “There’s honor in stopping yourself before you do something you regret.”

Azula was about to respond with a snarky comment when she heard the tap of shoes just outside. She turned to the guard standing in the doorway, who was now walking towards her. 

“Princess, I’ve been sent to protect you.” It was comedic, really, how scared he sounded as he said it. 

“Do I look like I need it?”

“Warden’s orders, Princess.” 

Azula looked ready to pummel this idiot when she was surprised by the blast of fire just inches from her face. The guard hopped in front of her (he must _really_ respect that Warden), to which she slammed him against the wall. 

While she did that, Zuko used the tiny amount of time he had bought himself to say, “Ty Lee’s on the top floor!”

He was guessing when he said that, of course. But it no longer concerned him once he was halfway to the courtyard.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone rushed to look out of the gondola. “It’s trouble.” 
> 
> Zuko prepared to jump out and go to the roof of the gondola, to make himself known, when Ty Lee put the back of her hand to his chest and stopped him.
> 
> “Let me handle this.”
> 
> Azula waved all the guards away. Whatever they were about to do, whether it be talk or fight, she didn’t want any interference.

Ty Lee sighed. The only good thing about this experience was all the time she had to meditate. She gave a valiant effort to lift her aura but at the end of the day it was no use; there was too much negative energy surrounding her at all times. 

She wished she could speak to someone right now. Talking to people was good for your energy. Ty Lee was only able to speak to Suki every few days. It wasn’t like they needed to talk more, anyway; there were only so many pressing life updates to give to your friend _in_ _prison._

When the door to her cell opened, she got excited to be let out. When no guard appeared in the doorway, she furrowed her brows in confusion. She made her way to the door and was no less confused to see no guards in the hallway, either.

She took this opportunity to go find Suki. Maybe she was in the courtyard! Finally, no handcuffs! 

As she ran through the halls she found that every door was open, not just hers. On every single floor. There was one guard who yelled a _hey!_ when he saw her, but he was chi-blocked hastily before he knew it.

”Nice!” Ty Lee muttered and grinned widely, “Still got it.”

Eventually she made her way to the courtyard. It took her longer than she’d care to admit to spot Suki (lots of tall men in the crowd), but that was overshadowed by her confusion when she saw the other people her friend was accompanied by. One of them was that Water Tribe boy she fought once or twice, another was a man clearly also from the Water Tribe, and the last was a man who… was not. She had seen him in the courtyard a few times but never paid much attention to him. They didn’t seem like a dream team, but hey, Suki trusted them, so it couldn’t be terrible.

“So _this_ is the guy you said would come for you?” Ty Lee called out without warning, causing the Water Tribe boy’s jaw to drop. “I know you!”

“Yeah, you do.” His blue eyes (they looked better than expected up close) were wide when his head turned to Suki. ” _This_ is the girl you wanted to help us escape?”

“Yes!”

”Are you sure? Completely sure?” Agni, this guy’s voice was shrill. “She hasn’t been exactly kind to me in the past!”

Ty Lee couldn’t argue, but Suki could. “Absolutely sure. I think I would have gone absolutely mad without her here. She’s my friend _now,_ regardless of the past. She’s coming with us, Sokka.”

There was a finality in Suki’s tone that Ty Lee had never heard before. It was thrilling. 

Sokka glanced between Suki and Ty Lee before crossing his arms in defeat. “Fine. But only because I trust your judgment!” He began to look around as he tapped his foot on the ground idly. “Alright, we just need… Zuko! Good, we’re all here.”

Zuko? How did _Zuko_ get in here? 

It didn’t matter right now. Maybe if this escape worked, they’d be able to talk and find out. Sokka continued, “Now, all we need to do is grab the Warden and get to the gondolas.”

“...And how do we do that?” 

Suki gave Ty Lee a look that made her giggle.

_Ugh, boys._

Together, they ran off towards the crowd.

“I’m gonna go straight for the Warden. You chi-block his guards. Got it?” Ty Lee nodded once in affirmation. Then they were off. 

Suki jumped up and used people’s fucking _heads_ like stepping stones. It was impressive. Ty Lee couldn’t tell the rest of their group was watching when she ran to the wall of the courtyard and used airbending– Agni, she forgot how good it felt to do that– to propel herself up a floor. Lots of guards charged at her, some using firebending. She evaded them and chi-blocked the firebenders (though it definitely wasn’t her best work; she was probably a bit rusty). She saw Suki make her way up to the second floor and used airbending to meet her up there. 

“Would you do the honors?” Suki asked after slamming the Warden to the wall. Ouch.

“Oh, would I!” Ty Lee brightly exclaimed, then she chi-blocked the Warden.

Ty Lee wasn’t scared when they moved past the guards to get to the gondola. She knew their group could take them. Maybe with a little bit of practice (to get back into the swing of things) she could take them by herself.

She didn’t want a fight. But sometimes push came to shove. And she had to be ready for it, whether she liked it or not.

Still, she couldn’t contain a sigh of relief once they all filed into the gondola. She had to admit, Zuko breaking that lever was a very good decision, all things considered. Jumping up to the gondola moving farther and farther away from him was _not._

When Sokka pulled Zuko in through the window, Ty Lee couldn’t resist the urge to give him a big hug (one that he didn’t return, not that she expected him to) because _Agni,_ she hadn’t seen him in a long time. She didn’t even care about how excessively hot his raised body temperature made her feel because… _wow._ It felt much longer than it probably had been. She would definitely need to catch up.

Once he pried her off of him, he started asking questions. “Ty Lee? How did you get in here? I thought I heard wrong when I heard your name.”

“Me? How did _you_ get in here! Your father just let you come back home!” She was confused. _Very_ confused. About how the Crown Prince, newly welcomed back to the homeland with open arms, ended up in _prison._

She grew _more_ baffled (if that was even _possible,_ which apparently it was) when Zuko stepped back, looking bewildered. “How long have you been here?”

Ty Lee furrowed her brows and tilted het head. “I was taken a couple days after returning from Ember Island, why?” She was met with only silence. “Why are you looking at me like I’m crazy?”

“A lot has changed since then.” 

Ty Lee’s expression softened, and she brushed her chestnut hair behind her ear. “What do you mean?”

Sokka interjected. “Well, for one, he joined the Avatar.” 

Grey eyes went huge. “YOU _WHAT?”_

The other man from the Water Tribe, who hadn’t spoken at all this entire time, spoke up. “I don’t think we have time for this. Who’s that?” 

Everyone rushed to look out of the gondola. “It’s trouble.” 

Zuko prepared to jump out and go to the roof of the gondola, to make himself known, when Ty Lee put the back of her hand to his chest and stopped him.

“Let me handle this.”

Swiftly, she flipped up to the roof of the gondola and jumped up to the cables (which may or may not have been assisted by airbending). Then she ran down them to face Azula. When she landed, they were probably no more than ten feet apart.

Azula waved all the guards away. Whatever they were about to do, whether it be talk or fight, she didn’t want any interference. 

Ty Lee _hoped_ it could be a quick ordeal. Painless. She knew how foolish it was to assume she could get that with Azula. A girl can dream.

At the very least, Suki and her new friends could leave. Yeah, Ty Lee could live with that. Suki deserved freedom. Maybe more than she did.

“Ty Lee.” Azula stared her down. 

“Princess Azula.” Ty Lee’s words were as calm and collected as could be expected. Maybe if she wasn’t obligated to focus on the royalty standing before her, she’d notice how badly her hands were shaking. 

“We need to talk,” Azula said, a hint of uncertainty hidden in her words. It was buried well, that was a talent of hers, but it was there.

The nobleman’s daughter looked up the slowly moving gondola. Then she looked back at the princess– her _friend._ “I’m sorry. I can’t right now.” 

Before Azula responded, they heard the distant voice of the Warden telling them to cut the line. She turned to the guards, who unsurely grabbed a saw. “You heard him. Do it.” 

The guards obliged and began to cut the line. The gondola, which had all but reached its destination, stopped. 

“How could you?” Azula hardly had to say the words; they both knew exactly what she was referring to. “I don’t understand how you managed to keep such a... _thing_ to yourself.”

Ty Lee was about to respond, to say that she had no choice; that there was nothing else she could have _possibly_ done, because nothing would have changed her fate, but then–

There was a loud thud accompanied by pained grunts. In a second, the guards that had been cutting the lines were pinned to the floor by knives. The gondola started moving again, and reached the other side. The escapees were home free. 

Mai didn’t protest when she was taken by the guards, moving just enough so the princess was between her and Ty Lee. Azula ordered the guards to leave once again. 

Oh, Agni, now Mai is involved? This was totally a stupid plan. A really stupid fucking plan.

Quick and painless? Had she spent _five minutes_ with Azula? 

Ty Lee should have figured she wouldn’t get out of here. If Azula didn’t want her free, she wouldn’t be. Simple.

As a silent farewell to Suki, she looked back up to the gondola. Although she couldn’t see them very well, she could have sworn to Agni she saw a few figures standing at the top near the gondola, one even leaning over the rails. Were they _waiting_ for her?

A flame inside her was lit, a new courage discovered. Call it far fetched, but maybe– just _maybe–_ Ty Lee would make it out of here. Far fetched was nothing new to her. 

“I never expected this from either of you,” Azula started. She glanced at both of her friends as she spoke; she was not talking to either of them specifically. “The thing I don’t understand is _why._ Why would you do it? You know the consequences.” 

Ty Lee had no answer. Mai did.

“I guess you just don’t know people as well as you think you do. You miscalculated.” She glared at the princess. _“I love Zuko more than I fear you.”_

Azula’s face distorted in anger and hurt. (Betrayal. That was the word.) It was a peculiar sight to see her yield to such emotion. “No, _you_ miscalculated! You should have feared me more!” Azula lowered into her firebending stance, and Mai prepared her knives. 

Before either got the chance to strike, Azula was on the ground, her body numb from a chi-block and her mind drunk off rage and betrayal. Ty Lee airbended herself onto the roof and then the cables. She looked at a wide-eyed Mai who was surrounded by guards. 

“I’ll see you again. Promise!” Before she ran, she committed Mai’s face to memory– just in case. She could have sworn to Agni there was a flicker of a smile on it when the two made eye contact. Then she ran across the cables, away from incoming fire blasts. 

When she rejoined her group, Suki pulled her into a hug. “We thought you were a goner. Zuko, especially.”

“Hey!” 

“You didn’t have to wait for me,” Ty Lee said. “I would’ve thought of something.” 

Sokka chimed in. “Alright, you two, quit your chit-chatting and get on the airship. We can all talk plenty then.” 

Ty Lee nodded. She breathed in relief. She saved Azula from doing something she would regret– hurting Mai would have crossed a line she didn’t realize was there– and for that, her aura wasn’t terrible. The airship was unlike anything she had ever seen. It was huge and elaborate and _way_ cooler than all of the plans she had read through. It was made entirely of metal– Ty Lee couldn’t believe there was this much metal in the entire Fire Nation.

The group decided it would be most convenient to stay near the control room and steer the airship in shifts. Now, the man who Ty Lee had learned was Sokka’s father was steering the airship. Just outside it, the four kids were sitting around. Sokka’s arm was around Suki while they both sat against the wall. Suki’s head was on his shoulder and her legs were out straight in front of her, for Ty Lee to rest her head on them. Zuko was lying on his back two or three feet away. They all lounged in silence; it was nice to relax after such a thrill. 

Zuko broke the silence first. “Ty Lee.” 

She had been drifting to sleep. “Huh?” 

“You never answered my question. How did you end up in the Boiling Rock?” 

“Oh! Um...” Ty Lee grew nervous. She knew she could trust everyone in that room with her secret, and they would have to know eventually, but now wasn’t the time. Not while she was half asleep, at least. “It’s a long story. Why don’t you tell me how you joined the Avatar first?” She yawned. “I’m sure it’s much more interesting.” 

“It’s not really _that_ interesting,” Zuko said. “…But fine. It felt like I betrayed myself, going back to the Fire Nation. I couldn’t return home like nothing had happened; not after everything I’ve seen.”

 _Angry at yourself,_ Ty Lee thought. “And?”

“ _And_ I needed to tell my father I wasn’t going to follow him. I figured the eclipse was best time because he was powerless. So that’s what I did. I told him everything.” 

“How did he react?” 

“He shot lightning at me.” Ty Lee couldn’t say she was surprised.

That earned an impressed scoff from Sokka, who had also been beginning to doze off. “And you _survived?_ You impress me every day.” 

“Yeah. After I redirected the lightning, I scrammed. So then when I saw the Avatar–”

“How many times are we supposed to go over this? His name’s Aang.”

“Shut up, Sokka.” Zuko sighed. “So when I saw _Aang_ heading to the Western Air Temple, I followed him. Then I asked to join his group.” 

“And with _considerable_ hesitation,” Sokka butted in once more, “we let him join the group. Bing, bang, boom! I used my trusty boomerang to take out the assassin Zuko sent after us, then and Aang went to see dragons for some firebending thing– jumping into a volcano would have been infinitely cooler, by the way– and then I asked Zuko to get my dad from prison, and here we are.” 

Ty Lee was expecting something more…wild. Not that assassins and boomerangs aren’t cool! They’re totally cool! Maybe the right word is epic. Ty Lee was expecting a more _epic_ chain of events. 

“There’s the story you wanted _so bad._ Now stop dodging my question. How did you end up in prison, let alone the _Boiling Rock?_ Why?”

“Oh,” Ty Lee laughed nervously. She hasn’t exactly said this out loud before. “I might… uhh...” 

“What? Spit it out!” 

“Give her a break, Zuko,” Suki told him, noticing how quickly her friend had become anxious. “If she doesn’t want to say, don’t push her.” 

Zuko groaned. “Fine.” 

“No! It’s fine. Totally okay. One hundred percent perfect.” Ty Lee sat up, waving her hands around in a futile attempt to get everyone to believe the words she’s saying. She took a deep breath and swallowed her pride. “I got caught airbending.” 

Of course, this elicited a shocked expression from everyone. Zuko even sat up to make sure he heard her right. “What? _”_

The weight of the world was lifted off Ty Lee’s shoulders. She felt a sudden boost in energy, an immediate improvement to her aura. She wanted to talk about airbending; she was finally free to. Call it making up for lost time. “I’m an airbender.”

“Like Aang?” Suki asked. 

“Yeah!” She smiled. “I mean, I’m not as good. I’ve never met another one, so I don’t know any _real_ moves. But I can jump really high, and move fast. Stuff like that.” 

Sokka turned and grabbed Suki’s shoulders. “Are you hearing this?” 

“Yup, I’m hearing it.” 

“Aang is going to go _beserk._ Oh, I can’t wait to tell him. Unless you wanna tell him yourself?” Ty Lee shook her head. “This makes it all make sense. I was wondering how you jump so fucking high.”

“Wait.” Zuko said, after spending the last twenty seconds looking like he was in deep though. “That one time in the courtyard, when we were kids. You pushed me. Was that…”

“Airbending? Yeah! But I didn’t really know. Sorry about that, by the way.” 

“I knew it!” Zuko proclaimed and flopped onto his back again. “I knew you didn’t just push me. Trust me, I _know_ what a push feels like. That was _not_ a push.”

Ty Lee “Want me to do it again?”

“No.”

Ty Lee nodded. After a few beats of silence, she greatly exhaled. “Phew! That feels _incredible_ to get off my chest! I’ve never said it out loud!”

“Have you told anyone else?” Suki asked. Suki seemed to be the least shocked. The wonders of _acrobatics._

“There was only, uh,” Ty Lee glanced to Zuko, “only one other person who knew. It’s been a thing since I was eight or nine, I think.” 

It was Sokka’s turn to ask a question. “What would the punishment be in the Fire Nation?” 

Zuko and Ty Lee exchanged the same knowing look. 

“I’m lucky all they did was throw me in jail. If you know what I mean.” Sokka knew what she meant. Quickly the energy had shifted, a sobering tension filling the air. Ty Lee didn’t like that. “I can answer more questions when we get there.”

Suki nodded. “Yeah, save it ‘til we get there. It’s been a long day. Let’s all try and sleep.” 

There was no harm in that. In the next half hour, all four of them were fast asleep. 

  
  
  


[...]

  
  
  


Ty Lee woke up to Suki gently shaking her and whispering, “We’re here.”

It had slipped her mind that she fell asleep on an airship. She began to recollect the memories from yesterday. She told them; she told them everything. And now they were going to tell Aang.

It kind of seemed like a dream. All she wanted, since she was tiny, was a teacher. Now there was one right there. In her grasp. It was moments like this she wished she could talk to her panicked, frightened, past self. She wanted to tell little Ty Lee that things would be fine. 

Ty Lee stood next to Chit Sang while Sokka and his family had their moment. She didn’t want to ruin it. Thankfully, it wasn’t her that made the decision to. 

“Wait,” someone whose Ty Lee couldn’t place yet said, “there’s another person here.” 

“That would be me.” Ty Lee nervously answered. She peered around Suki’s shoulder. Suki didn’t seem to mind; isn’t she amazing?

The girl in blue narrowed her eyes at Ty Lee. “Sokka, that’s her. She’s the one that took my bending away.” 

“Hey, look,” Sokka replied, “She’s with us now. She took down Zuko’s sister to help us escape. I think she’s trustworthy?” 

“Sorry about all those times I fought you. Uh, I won’t block your bending again. Promise.” Ty Lee held out her pinky (Suki taught her that one) but girl in blue only groaned, crossed her arms and looked away. 

“Sokka, you can’t be dumb enough to trust her,” girl in blue commented, and Suki was ready to pounce. She would have, if not for– 

“Okay, everyone,” Sokka said, as he sensed the tension building and took it upon himself to be the connection between everyone here, “we should all go to bed. It’s late.” 

Everyone seemed to agree when they all began to disperse. “Except for Team Avatar. We must provide our new member with the _initiation.”_

“Sokka, that name won’t stick. We’ve been over this,” the girl in blue said. “And why should she get some silly little initiation after _one_ good act?”

“I don’t care, Katara, Team Avatar is a fine name!” Sokka argued back. “Besides. There is big news that you guys need to hear.”

“Do I _need_ to hear it?” The other girl, who had been staring blankly towards the ground this entire time, asked. “It _is_ pretty late. And I’m still disappointed you didn’t get any meat.” 

“Yeah, Sokka, I think we should all get some rest,” Aang agreed. “We don’t even do initiations. Where did you get that?”

The three of them began to walk away after the short girl in green. In a matter of seconds, Suki and Ty Lee exchanged looks that loosely read, _are you ready?_ and _sure._ Then Suki looked to Sokka and they each nodded in affirmation. Did they have a _plan_ for this?

Sokka scoffed in annoyance. “Wow, so we get a new member and you’re all just going to walk away before meeting her?”

“We already met her!” The shortest girl yelled to him.

“Wow,” Suki said to Sokka in mock disbelief, “No respect for _airbenders_ around here, am I right?” 

Aang and Katara turned back around as Sokka replied, “You could say _that_ again! But I guess we should turn in for the night, shouldn’t we?”

”Totally,” Suki deadpanned, linking her arms with Sokka and ending their skit there.

“What are you talking about?” Katara looked and sounded suspicious. She probably assumed it was a joke– the delivery didn’t exactly help.

“Yeah, what _are_ you talking about?” Aang’s voice was softer, a mix of amazement and shock. He sounded less suspicious and more genuinely curious. 

Ty Lee moved out completely from behind Suki. “Uh, hi.”

Aang looked at her for another moment. “You’re an airbender? Really?”

“Yes…?” Now she was getting nervous. Why? She didn’t really know. She knew his reaction would be positive, but she couldn’t be completely sure. Still, it took her by surprise when in one moment the Avatar was standing three feet away and in the next he had his arms wrapped around her in a very tight hug.

After a moment he stepped back, wiping away tears that had gathered in his eyes. “How? I thought they were all gone.” 

“I don’t know. I’ve never met any others, though.” Ty Lee figured long ago that there could have been others. There were four Air Temples, and the people inhabiting them were _nomads._ Of course there were _others._ Ty Lee didn’t think of them very often; she didn't want to think of what their fate was. It reminded her of what hers could be. 

“But that means there could be more. Around the world.” He turned to the girl next to him. “Katara, are you hearing this? Are all of you guys _hearing this?”_

Katara seemed newly conflicted as she scanned Ty Lee up and down. “I think we should all go to bed. We can talk about this in the morning.” Then she gestured for the others to follow her when she began to walk towards their setup. 

“Yeah. Sure!” Aang said, excitement seeping through his voice as he followed. “Totally!” 

It wasn’t only firebenders that rose with the sun. As a citizen of the Fire Nation, Ty Lee rose with it, too. Most children hated waking up so early, and she was no exception. Over time and with age, though, it became a natural part of her routine. Firebenders took rising with the sun _very_ seriously. Despite her lack of firebending ability, it was still expected and enforced by Ty Lee’s parents as the daughter of a high nobleman. 

When Ty Lee naturally rose with the sun in the morning, she decided it would be a better time than ever to squeeze in some meditation. The temple’s good energy was incredible! _So_ refreshing after spending all that time immersed in bad energy. Back home she preferred to have tea to wake up to, partly to recalibrate after sleeping and partly because it was always nice to start the day on a good note. However, they didn’t provide prisoners with tea every morning, so Ty Lee grew used to meditating without it. 

She had sat behind Appa (she asked Suki for his name) and looked towards the cliffside to avoid being disturbed. When she walked out from her spot to get breakfast, she saw Aang sitting next to Appa, twiddling with his thumbs. 

“Hi,” she said, kind of nervously. “I was just meditating. How long have you been standing there?”

He startlingly looked up from his thumbs. “Oh! Not long at all. Sorry if it seemed a little... creepy. Sorry. I just wanted to talk to you. Ask you some questions.” 

Not like she could ever refuse the _Avatar._ “Of course! Uh…right now? Maybe over breakfast?”

Breakfast with the Avatar’s friends was certainly unlike anything she’d experienced. There was no tension between her most of them. Katara didn’t talk to Ty Lee a whole lot, but everyone else seemed to welcome her into conversation. 

“ _Ugh,_ none of you appreciate the positive impact of _sleeping in!”_ Sokka’s first complaint of the day was. “I’m telling you, the whole _rising with the sun_ bullshit is overrated.” 

“You get used to it,” Ty Lee replied casually, not even bothering to look up from her food. 

“You do that too?” Sokka was smart– Suki had said that much about him– but it seemed he was also pretty dumb, considering how dumbfounded that simple statement had left him. “I didn’t think you did. Y’know, _airbender_ and all.” He said _airbender_ like the word was mystical. 

“Everyone in the Fire Nation does it,” Zuko answered, and Ty Lee nodded while taking a bite of her assorted nuts and berries that Aang had been _ecstatic_ to get her to try. Though she was still fond of the way the Fire Nation seasoned their meat and was _not_ ready to give that up, so far vegetarianism had been treating her well.

“Spirits, your sleepovers must have been _bor-ing!”_ Suki commented. “Getting up at the crack of dawn? What time did you go to bed? Six in the afternoon?”

“Hey, they weren’t _that_ boring. Azula’s pretty funny, actually. When she’s not focused on work or a mission, that is.” 

“The crazier, the funnier,” Sokka replied as if he were an expert on the subject. “Only exception I’ve met is Toph.”

He received an elbow jab from Suki before retracting the statement. 

“I mean, usually we just made fun of nobles and stuff. And you, Zuko.” Ty Lee giggled as she remembered some examples.

“Stories about Sparky?” Toph asked after being quiet the entire time. It was clear she isn’t a morning person. _“_ I think we _deserve_ to know _those_.” 

“Don’t tell them any.” Zuko deadpanned. “They won’t let me live it down. 

Then Katara finally spoke, snatching an opportunity to laugh at Zuko’s expense. A mean smile was already forming on her lips. “No, we will not. Which is why you should tell us some. Whatcha got?”

Ty Lee giggled, thinking up some examples. “One time, when we were kids, we were at this really fancy banquet or something. Zuko, you like strawberries, right?”

“Oh, Agni, not _this_ one. Nothing funnier?”

“The most embarrassing ones will be told without you here.” Ty Lee said. Katara snickered. “But you didn’t answer my question.”

“Ugh, sure.”

“Okay, so as kids Zuko loved strawberries. While–” 

“They’re the best fruit!” Zuko said, clearly in an attempt to change the subject.

Suki looked ready to fistfight him. “Are you kidding? Everyone knows mangoes are the best! Aang?”

“Hey, Fire Nation strawberries were pretty good,” Aang put his hands up in surrender, “That’s all I have to say.”

“Spirits, you people have no taste!” Toph argued. “ _Peaches_ are where it’s at!” 

Sokka looked both confused and unimpressed. He could argue about the best meat all day, but once you started talking about fruits you’d lose him. Katara only rolled her eyes. 

Ty Lee began once more. “So _anyways–”_

“That’s enough!” Zuko said. As much as he looked embarrassed, a concealed smile could be seen on his lips.

“Fine. I’ll do another one. One time, at a ball, Zuko lit his pants on fire. Got so embarrassed he cried.”

Toph burst out laughing, and so did everyone else. Toph was just loudest. If looks could kill, Ty Lee would have burst into flames with the glare Zuko was giving her.

Zuko rolled his eyes one final time before moving on. “Ugh! Aang, we have to train.” 

“Actually,” Aang replied and turned his head to Ty Lee. “I wanted to talk to you. Want to take a ride on Appa?”

Everyone, even Zuko, understood. But just to be dramatic, he huffed out a “fine.” 

Ty Lee accepted the offer instantaneously with an excited nod, then she ran over to the bison. He was soft, she could tell just by looking at him (she had also felt his– what was the word?– _clumps_ of hair in the river that one time), but he was _very_ soft. Much better in person. 

Then she airbended to get on top of the bison. She couldn’t see the various looks she was being given– confusion from Katara, pride from Suki, disbelief from Aang, and nothing from Toph, Sokka and Zuko, who had all stopped paying attention. 

Aang hopped on Appa’s head,took the reigns, and they were off in a second. Ty Lee isn’t afraid of heights; never has been. Yet she still found herself clinging to the side of the saddle. Everything looked a lot prettier in the air, so she couldn’t help a few _wows_ from escaping her lips. Aang allowed her to take it in; the first ride on Appa could be overwhelming for newcomers. But she seemed fine with it. Not scared, just nervous. That was fair. 

After a few minutes flying around the temple, she broke the comfortable silence. “So, you wanted to talk to me?”

“Oh, yeah!” He responded, as if he forgot. Then he was awkwardly silent for a moment like he was trying to think of what to say. Ty Lee often forgot that the Avatar was (kind of? technically-ish?) younger than her. “You know, at first I didn’t believe Sokka when he said you were an airbender. Not that I thought he was lying– or that you were lying! I just thought…” 

Then he trailed off, looking away. “I don’t blame you. What happened to all the airbenders just seemed so…” she sighed. There were a thousand words you could complete that sentence with. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. It took a while for me to accept I was the last. I don’t even know if I have, completely. Sometimes, it just feels like something I’m living with. I share a space with it. It doesn’t shrink, doesn’t grow, doesn’t move, just exists. Persists. It’ll probably never go away.”

Ty Lee looked down. She felt like she was intruding on something, even if she wasn’t. “Nothing ever goes away entirely.”

Aang smiled. “Yeah. I know.”

Then he went silent, and neither of them had anything to say. They were nearing where they had left, but they still had a few minutes left in the air. 

After maybe a minute, the Avatar spoke up again. “So many nights I would search through my entire brain thinking of things. Traditions, holidays, stuff like that. The thought that the entire culture would die along with me was terrifying.”

 _Die along with me._ Ty Lee never thought of it that way. Something inside her shuddered at those words, and another thing awoke. Suddenly she knew she had a duty to fulfill. ”I don’t know much at all about the Air Nomads or their culture, but I’d love to learn about it. I don’t want you to carry such a burden all by yourself.” 

Aang’s eyes lit up. “Really? I don’t want you giving everything up.” 

“I won’t be giving everything up. I’ll find a balance…I’m sure you know how that is better than anyone.” They shared a small laugh at that before she continued, “Besides, it’s not like the Fire Nation has any airbending masters to learn from. It would be an honor to learn from you.” 

They landed near their group’s setup when Aang jumped up onto Appa’s saddle and hugged her again. Ty Lee wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of such overt displays of affection, but this time she hugged him back. It was nice.

Toph barely gave them ten seconds after hopping off Appa to complain. “Ugh, Twinkle Toes is back! Bendy Straw, too, I guess. Seriously, you guys need to intervene. Sokka has been getting on my last nerves.”

“Hey!” Sokka yelled back, springing into action. “My jokes aren’t that bad! You’re all being drama–” He was met with a stone pillar in front of his face, which he angrily grumbled at and moved around. “Suki, you like my jokes, don’t you!”

Suki was some distance away practicing– in other words, blissfully avoiding the discussion. “Huh? When did I ever say that?”

Toph barked out a _hah!_ and Sokka decided it was best to give up. He would win this conversation another time.

“Bendy Straw? What does that mean?” Ty Lee asked. 

Aang nudged her with this elbow and whispered, “Nicknames. I’m Twinkle Toes.”

“Got it.” 

Zuko appeared practically out of thin air. “Aang, come on, we have to do some firebending training.” 

“Could we postpone that?” Aang grabbed his staff that was propped up against a pillar and spinned it in his hand, “I’m kind of busy with airbending training.” 

Zuko was confused. “Why? You’re already a master.” 

With his free hand, Aang pointed to Ty Lee. “But she’s not.” Then he grabbed her wrist and started running off. “Bye!”

She could hear the prince loudly groan in frustration as she was led to a remote area of the temple. She barely had enough time to take in the beauty of it all; the walls were lined with various types of murals depicting lots of different things. Where the group had set up their things and ate all their meals there was a mural of sky bison on the wall. In the area Aang had brought her to, there were carvings of different nomads, similar to others seen throughout the temple. 

“That’s Avatar Yangchen,” he said, pointing to one. “The Air Nomad Avatar in the cycle before me; she brought decades of peace to the world. She’s a sacred figure to the Air Nomads.” Then he bowed to her mural, palm to closed knuckles. Ty Lee figured it would be respectful to follow suit. 

For what seemed like hours he walked her through the temple, telling every story and naming every name he could recall. He talked of different gurus and their tales, different legends with varying degrees of truthfulness; he talked about the thirty-six tiers of airbending and how he only actually mastered thirty-five before getting his tattoos (Ty Lee asked how he got them if he hadn’t mastered all the tiers and he responded saying it was because he invented an airbending move that he would be _delighted_ to teach her someday); and that sent him on a tangent about the significance of the tattoos and how monumental it was to get them. Then he hastily added that it wasn’t a bad thing to never get your tattoos– no, not at all! Because when you reached sixteen you dedicated a few years of your life traveling the world, away from just the Air Temples and the surrounding areas. During that time, mastering airbending wasn’t expected to be your top priority. Lots of people never got their tattoos, that was just how it was.

Ty Lee was fascinated by most it. Sure, maybe she couldn’t remember many of the specific names after hearing them once, but it had been a long time since anyone had spoken to her with such elation present in their voice. Aang was so eager to tell _someone_ about all this (she couldn’t imagine anyone else in their group wanting to listen for _hours_ ) that he was stumbling over his words.

It was fun to watch him in his element, but as he talked and talked, the words he said earlier only rang louder in her head: _the entire culture would die along with me._

The Avatar spoke gleefully, but it didn’t take a genius to detect the unadulterated _grief_ hidden under his words. And for this reason Aang’s aura was a green-ish yellow, like that of an unripe cherry. He told lots of stories from his own lifetime, but they felt so distant. A deep sorrow chained down every word. 

Aang had told them they would be _training._ They had passed the group a few times (and Aang gave them a summary of the information he’d been telling his fellow airbender _way_ too quickly, because he was so excited) and it was obvious they hadn’t been training at all. So, naturally, with Sozin’s Comet so quickly approaching, the group bombarded him with complaints that _he_ should be training. 

“How long have you been gone?” Zuko asked first. “You haven’t trained all day!”

“What can I say? I’ve been busy!” 

“Doing what? Showing Ty Lee around this place like it’s a _tourist attraction?”_

Thinking before he spoke– or _not_ doing so– was quite possibly Zuko’s number one fatal flaw. This became clear to him when the entire group went silent and looked at him, each of their faces a unique combination of something paired with disbelief.

It was evident the prince, upon registering the words that had escaped his mouth, deeply regretted his actions. Maybe the others couldn’t see the remorse in his eyes, but Ty Lee could recognize it as it was. 

But being good _at heart_ wasn’t enough. At least it wasn’t for Katara, who was the first to speak out and angriest by far. “How could you say that?” She pointed to Aang. “He hasn’t had _anyone_ –”

“Katara,” Aang interjected, and she stopped. It wasn’t often he interrupted her, but he didn’t want his friends to fight (because Zuko _was_ his friend now). He only took a deep breath and sat on an earth bench before turning away. “Katara, the sun’s almost going down. We can train for a bit then?”

It was clear the bite in her tone was directed at Zuko. “Sure. Then dinner.” 

There was a tension in the air, a distinct one. Because Aang was angry. He wasn’t starting conversations, or cracking dumb jokes made for little kids, or doing much of... anything. He only stared at his vegetarian dinner or out into the distance.

Well, _somebody_ had to break this tension. Who better than the only one who couldn’t see the looks on their faces? “Actually, Sweetness, mind if I take him for a little bit? Then you two can splash around all you want.” 

Sokka looked nervously towards Suki; he knew his sister well enough to know exactly how this was going to play out when Aang left. 

Maybe on another day Katara would’ve had the energy to engage in a petty argument with the earthbender. So she simply nodded and allowed Toph to walk off with the Avatar. Toph spoke very loudly, so the rest of the group was able to hear the beginning of their conversation; she was trying to convince Aang to let his anger out through earthbending. ( _“Come on, Twinkle Toes, what’re you gonna do? Hurt me?”)_

Once they were far enough away Katara exploded. She walked up to Zuko and poked her finger into her chest. “What made you think you possibly had the right to say something like that? How about you walk a mile in _his_ shoes? Huh? Do you think his culture is a fucking joke?”

Zuko had been pinching the bridge of his nose for a few minutes now. “It just slipped out. I’m sorry.”

Katara laughed dryly, though it was more of a scoff. “Yeah. Sure.”

“I don’t know what else to say! I’m _sorry!_ I wasn’t thinking anything at all!” 

Ty Lee knew insincere apologies like the back of her hand. And she also knew Zuko. That’s how she could tell he meant that. 

“Like I’m just supposed to believe you?” Katara sneered. 

“Yes,” Ty Lee chimed in. “You should.” 

The Water Tribe girl whipped her head around. It was slight, but her expression softened. More noticeably, so did her tone. She was still angry, but less. “What did you say?”

“I know Zuko better than any of you. Holding his tongue isn’t his strong suit.” She shifted her gaze to the prince. “Don’t get me wrong, _you_ fucked up. Katara isn’t the one you should be apologizing to, though.” 

Katara turned back to him. “Exactly. Apologize to Aang. And learn to fucking _think_ when you speak, while you’re at it.” Then she walked off to do something she didn’t specify. 

“You know, I have to admit, I’m impressed.” Sokka commented. “Usually it’s easier to steer clear of Katara’s wrath.” 

“Eh,” Ty Lee shrugged, “I just don’t like seeing anyone fight. No matter who they are.” 

It was true. She’s seen– and taken part in– enough fights for two lifetimes. The worst one she had been in was with her parents, just before she ran off to the circus. They weren’t going to be disgraced by their daughter choosing a profession, especially one so undignified. They refused to accept that Ty Lee wanted more in life than marrying a rich noble to boost her family’s political status. It was a crazy notion to them that she wished to be different from her sisters and _more_ than just a nobleman’s daughter. There already had been a rift between Ty Lee and her parents; but that night was what sent her off the edge. In forty-eight hours, she had joined the circus.

She still has yet to mend her relationship with her parents. She hasn’t talked to them since. But it was okay now. She’s friends with the Avatar. She _proved_ her point. 

Conclusion? Ty Lee doesn’t like fights. She tries to avoid them if the choice was there. 

In a weird way, Suki looked proud. She smiled at her friend and said, “Avoiding conflict. Like a true airbender.”

Ty Lee grinned and turned away to hide how hard she was blushing. She started laughing. “Stop flattering me!” 

Suki laughed along with her. Suki’s laugh was like music. “It’s true!”

For the first time since his encounter with Katara, Zuko spoke. “Thank you. You didn’t need to defend me. Kinda.”

“I wasn’t defending you. Just lessening your punishment.” 

“No, really.” He scratched the back of his head, “I think she would have maimed me if you hadn’t intervened.” 

“No, I don’t think so.” 

“Yeah, she wouldn’t.” Sokka chimed. “Aang wouldn’t let her. He needs a firebending teacher whether he likes it or not.” 

“That was a joke.”

Sokka laughed really loudly. “That was a _joke?_ Man, we gotta work on your sense of humor.” 

Zuko rolled his eyes. “Sure.” 

“Ty, wanna practice?” Suki asked.

“Sure!” Then she took the other girl’s hand and walked a distance away, leaving the boys alone. 

After an hour or two they returned to the group having dinner. Aang was laughing again like normal, and Katara was doing all but insulting Zuko (like normal), so Ty Lee assumed that he was in the group’s good graces. Or as close as he could get to being in them. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’ve done it, Ty Lee.” 
> 
> Done what? What did she do this time?
> 
> She was dumbfounded at the realization she couldn’t speak. She couldn’t escape. All she could was stand and face her friend.
> 
> “You’ve betrayed me. You’ve hurt me. It was a foolish thing to do.” Azula had been looking her in the eye, and now she stopped and looked to the side. “The least you could do is face it. ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i LOVE the concept of zuko and ty lee being really good friends (due to their shared past in the fire nation) so here’s an entire chapter of it! with some other stuff ofc. as always, comments and kudos are Very Very Appreciated. enjoy!!

It was three days later when Azula attacked. 

Ty Lee was woken up by the bombs detonating mid-air and the temple rumbling and shaking, nearly getting destroyed. Like everyone else, she was nearly useless. She wasn’t good enough at airbending to make a difference now, and she needed close range to chi-block. Chi-blocking couldn’t take down an airship, so her only option was to get to safety. 

Azula had risen from the fog, grinning wickedly. “You mean it’s not obvious yet? I’m going to celebrate becoming an _only child!”_

Even for Azula’s standards, that was uncalled for. It sent a shiver down Ty Lee’s spine to imagine how she felt then. The princess was cruel; everyone believed that. Since she was a child, she had called him worthless and pitiful and every other insult under the sun. But she had never threatened to _kill_ her brother. Something was wrong. Very wrong. 

She didn’t have time to think about that. It was like she blinked and the next thing she knew, Zuko was desperately trying to claw his way onto the airship, to no avail. 

“Zuko!” It was no use. She watched him fall.

It didn’t feel as though she was even in her own body when the walls shielding their area of the temple crumbled. The blinding light of the morning made the realization hit Ty Lee: she was in the princess’ line of sight. Yeah, Azula definitely saw her. There was nothing to do but run back to the voice (maybe there was more than one) that called her own name in a feeble attempt to get her attention; she couldn’t place who it was. 

She had arrived next to Appa when Katara had been helping Suki onto him. There were words being said around her when she airbended up there with them, but they hadn’t registered in her mind. All she did was hold on to the side of the bison’s saddle and tightly close her eyes, hoping to Agni that wasn’t the last time she ever saw Zuko. 

It only took her a moment to realize closing her eyes wasn’t smart. It was a good thing she came to that conclusion quickly, or else she wouldn’t have seen Zuko was actually _alive._ The pit in her stomach dissolved– because _Agni, Zuko was alive–_ but not completely. Because he was fighting Azula. The distant wisps of orange and blue told her that much. And then all she saw was an explosion of the colors, the two being launched in opposite directions.

Ty Lee narrowly avoided Zuko landing on her when Katara took his hand and pulled him onto Appa. Her eyes were fixed on Azula, aimlessly falling through the air– falling to her _death._

“She’s… not going to make it,” Zuko muttered. Slowly the princess was encapsulated by the fog below the cliffs. 

Azula couldn’t die– she _couldn’t._ She’s Azula. The last thing Ty Lee ever did was betray her and if she died now, she could never tell her that it was for her own good. She couldn’t die, not if she thought the last thing Ty Lee ever did was _hurt_ her. No, she couldn’t die. She’s _Azula._

Ty Lee hadn’t even noticed she was hunched over the back of the saddle quietly mumbling words, tears streaming down her face, until she felt Zuko’s warm hand on her shoulder. That made her stop talking. It also made her take notice of her position; she would have fallen off the bison if Suki hadn’t grabbed her hand in time.

Ty Lee felt overdramatic when Azula survived. Zuko clearly felt the same way, if it wasn’t obvious in the way he muttered, “ _Of course she did.”_

Displaying such emotion was shameful in the Fire Nation. A wave of embarrassment washed over her when she brought up her arm to dry her eyes, and even then she only gazed off the back of Appa. The group was uncharacteristically silent the entire way. Was it always this somber after a battle? 

Despite her embarrassment, she couldn’t help but be relieved. Zuko was right next to her, and he wasn’t gone. He should have been– but he wasn’t. That’s what matters. 

And his sister was alive, too– but she was different. The Azula that Ty Lee saw just ten minutes ago was not the same Azula she knew as a child. And that filled her with a unique sense of dread she’d never felt before. 

Ty Lee knew how to camp; in the Royal Fire Academy for Girls, survival skills were taught. There were often group activities in class, and Ty Lee very often paired up with Azula (who took them very seriously) and Mai (who did not). Still, it let them grow close to one another. Ty Lee’s parents encouraged her friendship with the princess because of how much it boosted their status; Mai’s parents did the same. They worked together nicely. One of Ty Lee’s favorite activities just happened to be setting up a tent; a simple yet very necessary thing to know how to do. Their routine was quick and efficient, just as Azula liked it.

It came as a surprise to almost everyone– save for Suki, because she had told her all about the Academy– that Ty Lee enjoyed setting up a tent so much (maybe they didn’t expect such a high-energy person to enjoy such a mundane task, or they didn’t expect _Ty Lee_ to be so versed in wilderness survival; either way, their loss). They allowed her eagerly do it for others, of course, so they were able to have dinner sooner than planned. 

“Wow, camping!” Aang commented, “It really seems like old times again, doesn’t it?” 

“If you really want it to feel like old times I could, uh... chase you around a while and try to capture you,” Zuko jokingly responded, receiving a laugh from the entire group.

Except for one person. 

“Ha ha,” Katara deadpanned. 

Nobody seemed to notice, because immediately her brother was making a toast. “To Zuko– who knew after all these times he tried to snuff us out, today, he’d be our hero!” 

Ty Lee joined the rest of the group in a _hear, hear!_ which followed in the prince getting a kind nudge from Aang and a not-so-kind punch in the arm from Toph. 

“I’m touched,” Zuko said. “I don’t deserve this.”

Ty Lee was about to respond. She wanted to say that he _did_ deserve it; that he was finally starting to be the Zuko she used to know.

But she never got the chance to. “Yeah. No kidding.” 

Everyone looked around confusedly while Katara stormed off, trying to see if anyone else had any clue what it was about. Leave it to Sokka, who always had a way with words, to voice their concern rather eloquently: “What’s with her?”

Zuko stood up. “Wish I knew.” Then he followed her. 

They had been out of sight for a minute before Toph spoke up. “Anyone want to eavesdrop? Should I do it?”

“Toph!” Aang countered. “That’s rude!”

“Rude, schmude,” the earthbender scoffed, “you sissybitches are no fun.” 

“I don’t see why we _can’t_ eavesdrop!” Ty Lee said. “You know, whenever Zuko got pulled aside by his mom, Azula would always insist on eavesdropping. But this time might not be as fun. Katara seemed really mad.” 

“See,” Toph said with a punch to Ty Lee’s arm, “Bendy Straw has the right idea!”

“No. Both of you, stop. We’re _not_ eavesdropping.” Aang said, clearly trying to make it an end-of-discussion statement. Toph didn’t like not having the last laugh. 

“Come on, Twinkle Toes! If they’re fighting, couldn’t we say it’s for their own good? Sure, Sweets might get pissed, but–”

“Wait,” Sokka interjected after looking deep in thought for the last thirty seconds. “Zuko has a mom?” 

“Of course!” Ty Lee answered. “Do you think he just appeared out of thin air?”

“Maybe!” Suki responded, getting a giggle from Ty Lee, an obnoxious _haha!_ from Toph and a horribly concealed chuckle from Aang. 

“No, no. I mean, how come we’ve never heard of her? Zuko hasn’t mentioned her once.” Then Sokka’s eyes went wide and he said overdramatically, “Unless she’s _evil!”_

To be completely honest, Ursa hadn’t crossed Ty Lee’s mind in days, since she was last sitting in her Boiling Rock prison cell. The thought of lying about the vanished Firelady lingered in her mind now; but she pushed that aside. This little group was going to single handedly take down the Firelord– she might as well trust them, right?

“No. She wasn’t evil. Not at all. She was kind.” Ty Lee paused, debating whether to share the important piece of information. “She was the first one to figure out I was an airbender. She knew it almost immediately.” 

“That’s the person you were talking about? On the airship?” Suki asked.

“I didn’t want to bring her up with Zuko there. Sensitive subject. He hasn’t seen her in years.” Ty Lee hoped they assumed she was referring to his years-long banishment. She got lucky that they didn’t inquire further.

Sokka looked as though he had solved a mystery. “Well, then she wasn’t very kind.” 

Ty Lee snapped her head to the Water Tribe boy. A switch had flipped in her mind. “What?”

“She turned you in.” Sokka said.

“What are you talking about? Ursa would never turn me in!” She retorted, suddenly becoming so defensive she stood up and looked down at him. “She kept my secret– kept a _promise–_ for years!” 

“I’m just saying,” Sokka put his hands up in mock surrender, “Who else could have done it?”

That infuriated Ty Lee. Her heartbeat was deafening in her ears.

“Ugh! Stop talking about people you don’t know!” She exclaimed.

It must have been odd to see her so passionately defending someone _else’s_ mother. It was also the first time she’s been angry around any of them. She couldn’t find it in herself to care for their stunned faces as she stormed away from them, to her tent. Avoid the argument before it happens.

Inside her tent was just a tarp on the grass and a small blanket. It didn’t do much in terms of keeping her warm, but Ty Lee knew how to warm herself. Aang had taught her ways airbenders could warm themselves up through their breathing, and Ty Lee had picked it up with flying colors because it was so similar to the breathing exercises she had done as a child to check whether she was a firebender or not.

Regardless, it was a warm night in the Fire Nation. Being cold wasn’t a huge deal. She had other things to think about. 

Firelady Ursa was only ever _nice_ to her– there were so few people she could say that about. Not even Azula, maybe. 

Ty Lee never doubted that Ursa was excellent at keeping promises. Up until now, she had no reason to.

But the more it sat in her brain, the more she had to admit it all made sense. Ursa keeping such a huge secret from her husband would definitely be treason, so it _would_ explain her… disappearance.

And it didn’t seem as though Ursa would turn her in voluntarily. No, the Firelord got to her first. He forced out the information and she gave in. Yeah. That’s what happened. Ozai found out, Ursa was forced to give her up, and something happened to her as punishment for holding such a secret from her husband– let alone the Firelord. Okay. 

Regardless of how the information got out, it didn't explain the timeline. There were _years_ between Ursa’s vanishment and Ty Lee’s arrest (if you could even call it an arrest). If Ozai wanted to be rid of Ty Lee, he would have done it immediately. So there’s that plothole. It didn’t make sense. 

She contemplated it for a long time. Eventually she gave up on trying to figure it all out and turned to meditation. Her aura was all out of whack from this, along with the guilt that came from snapping at the group– it was stupid of her to be mad when they didn’t know Ursa. She _was_ the Firelord’s wife, so it wasn’t unreasonable either. Ty Lee would apologize first thing in the morning, even before her meditation. 

After what felt like maybe a half hour, it became clear that perhaps this was one of those dilemmas it was best to sleep off. Morning meditations always _did_ work better anyway. And it would be a lot easier once she had apologized. So Ty Lee did her warming breathing exercises to both calm down and warm up, until she decided she was okay and lied down on her side, using her arm as a pillow. Quickly her eyelids became heavier and heavier until she dozed off. 

_She was alone in the palace courtyard. The cherry blossom trees were blooming; it was spring, Ty Lee’s favorite time of year. There was a breeze, it felt nice. The sky above her was blue and sprinkled sparsely with clouds. On the ground just at her feet were rose petals, forming a path that led out of the courtyard. She followed this path out of curiosity._

_Into the palace she strolled, surveying the halls for anyone else. She had been in the palace many times as a child, and never had she ever remembered there being this many windows. As a child the halls seemed to loom over her with observant, judging eyes. But now sunshine poured into them graciously like never before._

_The farther she followed the bright pink petals, the darker the halls got. Dimmer and dimmer they grew until the only light provided was from torches on the wall. She did not stop following the petals, despite her concerns._

_At the final hallway, a curtain clad in Fire Nation insignia awaited her. Its energy felt ominous, like a warning of sorts. But she felt drawn to it, like the choice was not hers to make. So she opened the curtain._

_It was the throne room._

_Azula had described it to her once: Completely void of all furniture, aside from pillars spread out within the empty space. The throne was not so much a throne as it was a simple platform, something akin to a stage at a theater. The front was lined with Fire Nation insignia. There was a beautiful, petrifying mural of a dragon behind a decorated archway that was onstage. Azula had said their throne room was much plainer than the Earth King’s throne room once. Ty Lee had no choice but to agree now._

_Lining the front and back rim of the platform was fire._

_Blue fire._

_Ty Lee felt a tug towards the throne. Her legs were no longer hers as she walked closer. Surely, there she was on the throne. Azula._

_“You’ve done it, Ty Lee.”_

_Done what? What did she do this time?_

_She was dumbfounded at the realization she couldn’t speak. She couldn’t escape. All she could do was stand and face her friend._

_“You’ve betrayed me. You’ve hurt me. It was a foolish thing to do.” Azula had been looking her in the eye, and now she stopped and looked to the side. “The least you could do is_ **_face it._** _”_

_That’s not what she wished to do at all. She wished to scream, but her lips were pursed; she wanted to run, to thrash, to do anything, but she was frozen. She wanted to curl up in a ball and cry, she wanted to burn this place to the ground. Anything but this._

_The closest she would get to any of that was squeezing her eyes closed; tightly._

_“You’re so silly!” The princess laughed. “Don’t you know air only fuels fire?”_

_Ty Lee’s eyes flitted over to her friend. She repeated herself. “Air only fuels fire…”_

_Again._

_And again._

_And again._

_“Air only fuels fire…”_

_And… not again. Ty Lee had only just begun to grow accustomed to the rhythm when the floor collapsed into nothing, leaving her free falling deeper, and deeper, and deeper, until–_

She jolted upright in her tent, gasping loudly as if she’d been holding her breath for minutes. She could hear her heart and feel her temples throb, her forehead drenched in a cold sweat. She wanted to shrink to the size of a rabbit-mouse. That’s when she saw the opening of her tent parting. 

“Katara?”

“Are you okay?” The Water Tribe girl asked. “I was walking back to my tent and I heard something.”

“Yeah. Just a nightmare.” Ty Lee wiped her eyes and gave a fake shrug as the other girl sat down across from her. 

“Wanna talk about it?”

Immediately, Ty Lee was thrown off by how gentle Katara was being with her. “...Huh?” 

“I’ve always found it easier to deal with nightmares if you talk about them.” She explained. “Lots of times Aang is the only one awake to listen, but he’s a great listener.”

“He’s a great talker, too,” Ty Lee joked. Katara giggled in agreement. “But that’s not what I was asking about.”

Katara raised an eyebrow. 

“What I’m saying is…” She had a feeling– no, she _knew–_ that the waterbender wouldn’t appreciate her beating around the bush. “...How come you treat me so much better than Zuko?”

Immediately Katara’s face dropped, a level of anger washing over it. “Oh. Why do you ask?”

“Because he’s my friend. I don’t like to see him treated like… I don’t know.” 

“What’s wrong with how I treat him?” Katara crossed her arms. 

“No! It wasn’t an insult! It’s just that, me and him, we’re similar. I don’t see what the problem is with him– but not me. You know?”

“You’re _so_ much different than him!” Katara snapped. “You’re not like him at all.”

“Don’t you care about what I’ve done to you?” 

The waterbender huffed. “Of course I do. Get to the point.” 

“I don’t understand why I get some sort of special treatment!” Ty Lee admitted. “You haven’t said anything bad to me, but you have all the reason to!”

“Because you don’t deserve that!” Katara said in a tone close to yelling, and then retracted when she saw Ty Lee flinch. “Not like him. You make Aang too happy for me to stay mad at you. Or something. Is that what you want to hear?” 

The airbender furrowed her brows. She had never thought about it that way, and it showed on her face. “I’ve still done bad things. I blocked your bending a bunch of times. I chased you around the Earth Kingdom. I imprisoned you and your friends that one time, sorry about that by the way–”

“Don’t think I’ve forgotten about any of it.” There was a certain bite in her voice now. “Because I haven’t. But what you did wasn’t comparable to what _he_ did. You never betrayed my trust because you never _had it_. _That’s_ the difference.”

Something in Ty Lee’s mind wasn’t clicking. So she continued to listen. 

“When Aang was showing you around a couple days ago, Suki and Sokka and my dad were telling us about the escape. Suki told me all about you, about… everything. About Azula, how she was to you and to everyone. The reason why you did all the shit you did. She said you didn’t have a choice.”

Katara sighed. “You want to know something?” 

Ty Lee nodded, her sideswept bangs bouncing the slightest bit. 

“Aang always talks about people being good at heart. That sometimes their actions don’t really convey how they feel. Maybe they do bad things, but inside there’s a good person just waiting for the right opportunity to come out.” Katara sighed. “But I don’t believe in that. People are their actions, and every action is a choice. If they’re good _at heart,_ they’ll reflect it in what they do. If they want to be good, they’ll _do_ good.”

“I get that.” Ty Lee was not lying. She _did_ understand. But she didn’t agree. Everyone is good at their core, and thy will make the decision they believe is right. But sometimes that decision just... isn’t right.

“You faced Azula and you stood up to her. You protected your friend from getting hurt. You helped my family escape. You proved that if people are good at heart, they’ll do good.” She looked down to her knees. “And Zuko? I don’t know if I can say the same. Time and time again, one thing after another...” 

The airbender took Katara’s hands in hers. “I’ve known Zuko since we were kids. You should give him one more chance, because I can tell you with confidence that he’s different now. Take my word for it. He’s– _finally_ acting like the Zuko I used to know.”

“One more chance? I’ve already given him more chances than he knows what to do with!” Katara retorted. “His good acts don’t outweigh the bad. Not yet.”

In her eyes were anger. But something else, too. It didn’t take long for Ty Lee to realize that it was fear– the fear that any mercy shown would be in vain. She retook the other girl’s hands and squeezed. Then their eyes met one another. 

“It’s my turn to tell you something.” Ty Lee sighed. “I can see him trying his hardest to do good. So give him one more chance. If he _chooses_ to waste his chance, I’ll be by _your_ side.”

And then they were silent, their eyes locked, their breathing slow. Anger was still laced in Katara’s expression, but it had subsided. She only retracted her hands when she got up and left the tent. 

Ty Lee couldn’t help but notice how much brighter both their auras were. Earlier Katara’s was a dark green, now it was a color you’d see on a leaf in the sun. Ty Lee’s had gone from maroon to the gold of Azula’s hairpiece. 

She didn’t have any trouble sleeping after that. It never occurred to her to ask why the Water Tribe girl had been awake so late. Maybe the full moon was nice. Maybe it had to do with her waterbending. Maybe she would ask in the morning. 

  
  
  


[...]

  
  
  


Ty Lee had heard all about the acclaimed Ember Island Players. She’d seen them once or twice as a child, and they had never disappointed. Zuko clearly felt different. 

The entire walk back to the Ember Island home was spent talking about how bad the play was. When they reached it, they all agreed to go to sleep. (They all slept in rooms near to one another to be safe in case of attack.) Except Zuko. He said he was going to go for a walk. 

Ty Lee may have appeared naïve, but she wasn’t. She knew something was on his mind, and she was determined to figure out what– even if she did think she had a good idea of what it might be.

After waiting for five minutes, she went out to find him. She found him in the garden behind the house, sitting criss-cross in the dirt, looking over it. The garden was abandoned like the rest of the house, all dust and overgrown weeds. She wouldn’t have been able to see him if the moon weren’t so bright that night.

“Hey,” Ty Lee said quietly, just to make her presence known.

“Hi,” he replied. 

“What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing,” Zuko answered, like a liar. 

“Oh, come on. I know you. If there was nothing on your mind, you’d be asleep like everyone else.” Ty Lee sat down next to him, on his left. “And I’m not gonna leave unless you _really_ want me to.” 

Zuko sighed, and that was all she needed to tell that he _didn’t_ want her to leave. 

“This was my mother’s garden. Whenever we stayed here, most of her time was spent tending the plants. We had servants who could do it, but she insisted on doing it all herself. And now it’s empty. It reminds me of the old times here, when we were happy.” The boy was silent for a beat. “...It reminds me of her.”

“You know she’d be proud of what you’re doing. Helping the Avatar, restoring balance, all that. She would really be proud.” Ty Lee nudged her friend’s shoulder. Because that’s all he was. He wasn’t Zuko, crown prince– or the banished prince– or the Firelord’s son, or the Avatar’s teacher. He was just Zuko, her _friend._

“The end of that play…” he trailed off, trying to find the words. 

“It’s fine if it upsets you. It must be hard to see yourself die onstage, even if it’s fake.”

“That’s not what bothers me about it.”

“Then what is it?” 

“Azula was the one that killed me,” Zuko said. And then it clicked. “I know it shouldn’t have come as a surprise. I’m a traitor. That’s how they see me, at least. But…” 

Ty Lee stole the words out of his mouth. “But she’s your _sister.”_

“Yeah.” Classic Zuko. Always so descriptive. “It’s just… strange. I know Ozai and Azula need to be taken down. It’s the only way anything is gonna get better. But they’re still my family. Like it or not, they’re all I have.”

“What about your Uncle?” Ty Lee asked. It had already been said when she remembered what Azula told her had transpired in the catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se.

“I betrayed him. He hates me.” 

Ty Lee didn’t know Iroh well enough to know if that was true or not. All she could do was offer assuring words and put her head on her friend’s left shoulder. “You have more family now, even if they’re not blood related. You know that.” 

Zuko came as close to smiling as he could. “Aang has only said it ten thousand times.”

Ty Lee giggled, then yawned and took her head off his shoulder. “I’m gonna go to bed. You coming in?”

“I’ll stay out here for a bit longer.”

Ty Lee nodded. She had begun to walk towards the house when she heard his voice one more time. 

“Hey.” She turned back around. “Thanks.”

She smiled sweetly. Genuinely. “No problem. Goodnight.”

Zuko said goodnight back and she went inside.

Despite being tired, Ty Lee couldn’t sleep. There was negative energy present, and she couldn’t figure out what it was. It wasn’t coming from her. Hesitantly, she decided to investigate.

When she went outside to the garden, Zuko wasn’t there. That was a bad sign in itself, but not enough to alert everyone else. There was a good chance he had decided to walk around the island. She started by searching the backyard, then the garden, then the various courtyards. All empty.

She was in one of the courtyards, one similar to the one Zuko and Aang had been training in earlier that day. It was big and empty, and the energy was so immensely _negative_ that she debated avoiding it entirely and just going back inside. Maybe on any other occasion she would have, but not now.

The chirps of the crickets outside were soft enough to ignore. Thank Agni for that, and the echo that carried across the courtyard– if not for them, she would not have heard the tap of footsteps on the dilpidated stone and her eyes would have not followed the taps to a shadow slipping behind a corner. Alerting the group would risk the shadow getting away, so she decided to follow them. 

When she turned the corner, that’s when she saw it. 

Zuko was there, a blue fire blade only inches away from his neck. Despite the imminent danger he was in, he looked calm. It was a facade; a learned habit. 

“Ty Lee, how splendid of you to join us!”

“Let him go, Azula.”

“Don’t you want to hear my offer?” Azula asked. Something in her voice was off. Ty Lee couldn't place it. 

“No, I don’t.” That was a lie, because it _was_ in her best interest to hear this _offer_ regardless of what it was. Ty Lee only clenched her fists. She chi-blocked Azula once, she could do it again.

“It’s not Zuzu here I want,” which earned her a grumbled _don’t call me that_ from Zuko, “I have no interest in _this_ traitor. I’m interested in you, Ty Lee.”

“Me? Why do you want me?”

“Why does it matter _why?_ I could ask you _why_ questions all day, but we’d never get anywhere.” Azula gave an annoyed huff. “Look. You come with me, and I’ll let little Zuzu here go. That’s it.”

“And what if I don’t want to? The Avatar is right inside. All of us could beat you.”

The princess rolled her eyes. “Yes, I suppose so. He is the Avatar, after all. And his friends are quite a nuisance, too. I could never compete!”

Ty Lee considered turning around and getting them. But she didn’t. “Tell me the _entire_ deal.” 

“I don’t remember you being this difficult, Ty Lee. Oh well, I guess treachery does that to someone. Here it is: You come with me, and Zuzu goes unburnt– although, I suppose it’s been too late for that for a while now– _or_ you refuse, and I kill him right here. Go get the Avatar and his friends, and you won’t even get to see the life fade from his eyes.”

Ty Lee could feel her arms shaking with rage. She wanted to cry. She was angry. At Azula, that was obvious. But it felt _wrong_ to be angry at _this_ Azula. These actions were not being performed by the Azula she knew– she had to remind herself of that. They were being performed by someone else entirely, a character born from the princess’ darkest form and magnified to be only that. Something snapped in the princess and now she was spiraling; however different she was a few days ago, now it was a hundred times worse. This was worse than any nightmare she’s ever had. 

_…You’ve betrayed me. You’ve hurt me._

_Somebody hurt Azula,_ Ty Lee thought. _They hurt her so much that she entirely lost herself._

_…It was a foolish thing to do._

_That somebody is me,_ Ty Lee thought.

 _The least you could do is_ **_face it._ **

Ty Lee took a breath and closed her eyes. “I’ll go with you.”

“Are you out of your fucking _mind?”_ That was the first thing Zuko said. His sister only held the fire blade closer to his neck, and he quietly winced when the flame met skin. If he thought the death threat was a joke before (he most likely didn’t), that certainly changed his mind.

“The Avatar needs you, Zuko. The _world_ needs you.” 

Azula grinned wickedly. She let go of Zuko, as promised, and added a kick into the dirt for good measure. Before he could get to his feet Ty Lee air blasted him away (it was probably her most powerful one to date, and she would have pat herself on the back if not for the circumstances). The last thing she wanted was the siblings fighting because of her. She took a few steps toward Azula, who took her wrist and yanked her closer before similarly holding a fire blade to her neck. 

She began to back away. Then she put her arm around Ty Lee’s neck, choking her. Everything began to fade after some moments; even the shouts from the princess sounded distant.

“Goodbye, Zuzu. Sozin’s Comet awaits. Now you can tell the Avatar and friends that you let the second-to-last airbender go, gone with the wind!”

The last thing Ty Lee saw was the image of her friend fading in the distance.

  
  
  


[...]

  
  
  


“You _let her go?”_ Katara almost yelled. “How could you do that?”

“Azula was going to kill him, Katara,” Sokka replied, because nobody else was prepared to face the waterbender’s wrath. “That wouldn’t solve anything.”

“You could have screamed for us! We would have heard it! We could have taken her!” Now she was yelling, completely ignoring her brother’s attempt to calm her down. 

“She already thought of that,” Zuko said. “She was going to kill me right then and there if Ty Lee went to get you, or even just called for you.” 

“Couldn’t have that happen,” Toph shrugged. Katara glared at her, refusing to care that the earthbender couldn’t see it. “What? Aang needs a teacher.” 

“Toph’s right, guys. No other firebender is gonna teach Aang,” Sokka admitted.

Suki looked to Zuko. “You know Azula and the Fire Nation better than any of us. What do you think is going to happen to her?”

“I don’t know,” he answered, “Azula, she’s… there’s something different about her. I’ve never known her to do anything like she did last night.”

Katara threw her hands up in annoyance. “Great! The only other airbender we’ve ever seen and now we have no idea what’s gonna happen to her!”

There was a brief silence before Zuko sighed. “I have an idea. It’s not good.” 

Everyone looked towards the firebender with a worried look. They knew the Fire Nation’s cruelty, but not to the extent he did. “When Azula took her, she said something about the comet. Sozin’s Comet. If there’s anything to be known about my sister, it’s that she chooses her words wisely. Usually. But she wouldn’t just throw that in for nothing. She had a _reason.”_

“What’s your guess?” Katara asked. She wasn’t as angry anymore; didn’t sound like it, at least. She sounded exasperated. Worried. She kept glancing towards Aang.

“You know firebenders’ power gets heightened during the comet. And Ty Lee is an _airbender,_ not just another average traitor. Something special will happen to her– they’ll make an example of her. I also know that my father has a knack for, uh… publicity.” 

Then he grazed his fingers over his scar. Shit, he forgot they don’t know about that. But they don’t have time to unpack all of that. Yeah, no. Not the time.

Katara’s hand had found its way to her mouth in shock. Nobody said something until Toph did. It was early in the morning and unclear whether she had completely and entirely grasped the gravity of the situation. Regardless, she wasn’t a huge fan of never getting to the point. “So… public execution? Is that what you’re getting at?” 

“...Yeah.”

“They can’t do that! We have to go get her!” Katara yelled. 

“That’s not a good idea,” Zuko replied and she huffed at him. Then the group was in silence for a minute, the gears in their heads all turning.

“Aang, are you okay?” Suki asked. “You haven’t said anything.” 

Aang nodded. He was staring at the ground. “I know it’s not a good idea to get her. I know that. I just…” 

“Just what?”

Suddenly there was a breeze. It wasn’t a breezy morning.

Katara looked around at the group worriedly (similar looks were returned) as the winds picked up. They were growing faster and stronger in a spiral around the young Avatar. He had turned around and was pacing away. 

“As if they haven’t taken _enough_ from me!” Nobody in the group could see his face, but a collective look of terror washed over theirs when the tattoo that ran over the top of his head and down his back began to _glow._

Suki, Sokka and Zuko all began to back away, their steps swayed by the strong winds. Toph, the farthest from him, only sat on her earth pillar with a look of awe. Katara burst into action and ran towards him. She had almost reached him, about to grab his hand and pull him into an embrace, but then–

As quickly as the moment had begun, it ended. Aang stood there, facing away from the group.

Katara put his shoulder. “We’ll get her back. Promise.”

“Alright!” Toph screamed suddenly, sensing that the mood was in dire need of lifting, “Fire Nation prison break!” 

Everyone looked around wearily. Zuko was first to protest. “No, she’s probably being held at the capital. Only the worst of the worst are there. We can’t go and break her out.”

”Who says we can’t?” Toph retorted, seeking a challenge.

Zuko shrugged. “It’s just not possible.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter isn’t my favorite but i hope you enjoyed it!! i had a lot of difficulty writing the beginning as well as katara and ty lee’s conversation, but i ultimately don’t mind where it went. kinda. (and if it wasn’t clear why katara is quicker to “forgive” ty lee and isn’t so outwardly mean, it’s because there isn’t nearly as much negative history as with zuko. not to mention ty lee doesn’t actually know about any of it– especially not the conversation that happened between zuko and katara in the catacombs of ba sing se– which is why she’s so confused. sorry if it wasn’t that clear! and let me know if this is out of character for katara or not!) but yeah, i have LOTS of thoughts about ty lee and zuko being good friends!!! there’s more to come of that so just stay tuned!!! thank u all 4 reading


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I don’t care about your stupid auras. They’ve never meant a thing to me.”
> 
> “I don’t think that’s true,” the airbender said. “I don’t know if you can recall the first time you saw me meditate. Can you?”
> 
> “No,” Azula lied.
> 
> “But I remember the way you looked at me; the way your eyes lingered. It was like you had seen the sun for the first time.”

Ty Lee had been silent the entire trip back to Caldera City. Not like she had anyone to talk to, anyway. 

She had been held in a metal box in the airship. Cold metal made up the walls, floor and ceiling; it reminded her of prison. At least her prison cell had an eye hole in the door to peek through. 

It seemed Azula traveled to Ember Island alone, but it wouldn’t be unlike her to bring other troops. Was the group okay? Was Zuko okay? They could be in a fight right now and it would be her fault. And she hated that. 

Meditating would do nothing. Not now, not until she knew what was going to happen to her– maybe then, she could prepare accordingly. But not now.

For now, the image was stuck in her head: Azula holding a blade of fire to her brother’s neck. 

He was a sitting turtleduck then; the princess hadn’t hesitated to singe his neck, and that was terrifying in itself. Every time Ty Lee saw Azula, she looked worse. The bags under her eyes had grown more and more obvious, her hair looked wild and unkempt. 

Azula always did her hair. It was synonymous with honor, a long-standing tradition in the Fire Nation. It represented her status. Azula’s entire identity (as a master firebender, as princess, and most importantly as Ozai’s daughter) was her status. Seeing her hair as it was last night– tangled and dirty and not even _brushed–_ was one of the strangest and most concerning things Ty Lee had ever seen. 

Ty Lee wanted to talk to the princess as much as she never wanted to talk to her again. Maybe if she ever got out of this cell, she could see which felt right. 

She had thought about it a lot, yet never reached a decision, when the princess herself graced the traitor with her presence. 

“We need to talk,” Azula said. The words sounded the same as the day when she had escaped from the Boiling Rock– uncertainty was buried in there. 

Ty Lee only stayed silent. 

“If you’re not gonna say anything of value to me,” Azula spat and turned around, “I’ll just go.”

“I just want to know one thing.” The princess rolled her eyes and turned back around. “What’s gonna happen to me?”

“As if this isn’t some plan of yours to escape? To bring down the Fire Nation? To bring down _me?_ I know all your little tricks, Ty Lee. Don’t act like I’m a fool.” 

Ty Lee continued to stare at the floor. She didn’t wish to look at the other girl in the room; it would only be salt in the wound. “My aura isn’t well. I want to prepare for what’s going to happen to me.” 

“I don’t care about your stupid _auras._ They’ve never meant a thing to me.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” the airbender said. “I don’t know if you can recall the first time you saw me meditate. Can you?”

“No,” Azula lied.

“But I remember the way you looked at me; the way your eyes lingered. It was like you had seen the sun for the first time.”

“Things aren’t the same anymore! You’re with the Avatar now. I can’t trust anything you say!” Azula began to pace the floor. “You’re nothing to me but a _traitor.”_

“I’m your _friend,_ Azula.” The airbender’s voice was steady. It was calm. 

“No you’re not!” Azula yelled as she paced and grabbed at her hair. With every word, she heard more and more of her m– Ursa. “You lied to me for years!”

Ty Lee’s mumbles were volumes louder than the princess’ shouting. “You know I had no choice.” 

The princess stopped pacing. “Oh, Agni above, could you fucking quit it with that? You always say that you had no choice. But you _did._ Anything that happens to you, you brought it upon yourself!” 

There was silence for a few moments. “What’s going to happen to me, Azula?” 

“You think I don’t see your– your _game?”_ She stepped back. “ _Azula_ this, _Azula_ that, you’re not even worthy of uttering my name. So shut it.” 

Ty Lee sighed. She still didn’t look up at her friend; she didn’t think she could handle it. “All I want to know is what’s going to happen to me when I get back to the capital.” 

“Fine, just to shut you up. You’ll be executed on the day of Sozin’s Comet.” Azula crossed her arms. “Then I’ll finally be rid of you.” 

Ty Lee refused to look at her friend, despite suddenly being hit with the fact it might be the last time. She didn’t want _this_ to be the last she saw of her friend. She closed her eyes and let a single tear fall as she heard the footsteps of the princess leaving the room. 

That day, and the next few days, she did lots and lots of meditating. She knew what was going to happen to her– that definitely helped calm her. 

All her life she had run from her abilities, from her destiny. She lied to people; she _hurt_ people. She could flee all she wanted but she could never outrun it. 

She knew what the consequence would be for being an airbender. She knew it when she was twelve years old. It was simple then, and it was simple now. The punishment was always the same. Maybe it was her fault for not coming to terms with it earlier. 

It was funny, really. Every day in the Fire Nation was another day of nimble avoidance– strikingly similar to tightrope walking. Even after all the time that’s passed, going to the circus and back, nothing changed. Even if it felt like it did. She still had to lie.

She’s _still_ on that tightrope. And she was a fool for thinking she could ever be free from it.

So she meditated for days. The last thing she needed was her aura being thrown off during the execution. And if it was, at least she got some moments of peace before her demise. Regardless of the state her aura was in, this was a conflict she was going to face whether she wanted to or not– the best thing she could do was make peace with it. 

The thought crossed her mind that her new friends would come get her. She wanted to be angry at them for every passing hour she spent in solitude. But eventually it became useless; being angry solved nothing. Dying angry was more agonizing than any other fate. 

She wanted to see Zuko again. If she didn’t, so be it. He knew that she believed in him, knew he was good. She could live or die peacefully with that knowledge. 

She wanted to see Mai again; Agni, how _awful_ it would be if she could never fulfill her promise! Maybe if she had taken her along when they escaped from prison, maybe she could have met the Avatar, maybe she could have worked things out with Zuko, maybe–

There was no room for maybe. All she could do was hope to Agni that Mai would forgive her.

And so there Ty Lee sat in her cell, meditating. Bringing her aura to a state she was satisfied with. Making peace with the conflict and understanding that this was always going to happen; all she had done was delay the inevitable. 

As the comet approached, her destiny was upon her. She wasn’t going to run.

  
  
  


[...]

  
  
  


Azula exhaled as she carefully put the pin through her hairpiece, finishing off her topknot. 

Not good enough.

She let down her hair entirely, ignoring how much her lopsided bangs bothered her. She was using a handheld mirror now. It was hard to do her hair with a single arm, but she would manage. There was no other choice. 

She tied her hair up again.

Different thoughts competed to be front and center in her mind. Different words that people had said to her. She had succeeded in pushing away most of them, except just a few. 

_I love you, Azula._

Ursa had said that. It was a lie. She knew that. 

Ursa had never loved her. All she had ever done to her daughter was antagonize her, how could she _love_ her? Clearly it seemed that even beyond the grave– because that’s what Ursa was, _dead–_ her voice could echo through the halls like a song not sung for an eternity. It was a horrid song. 

Ursa had ruined her life. The puzzle finally started to come together when she found _it._ That day was so clear in her mind.

The princess had been in her room after returning from the Boiling Rock when it came to her. She was thinking about that wretched traitor, the airbender, and about Ursa’s disappearance. Those two things could certainly be correlated (though there was no solid, undeniable evidence). It was a laughably easy conclusion to arrive at, even as a child.

In a stroke of genius not unlike the princess, she remembered that Ursa had left a chest of possessions from her time as Firelady (not everything could be taken with her when she vanished, after all). She rushed to the room deep within the palace to find it. That’s when she found the papers, scrunched up and discarded. 

A letter. 

The contents of most of the excessively long letter slipped Azula’s mind because of how mind-numbingly dull they were; except for one paragraph.

_Azula has a friend. It warms my heart to see them be so jovial. It reminds me of a time long ago, of a feeling I knew. It’s distant, one I can barely remember, yet I can’t help but feel like they bring it closer to me. Ty Lee, the girl’s name is, has developed a skill for acrobatics. Her natural talent is unique, unlike anything I’ve ever seen, even from the Fire Nation’s greatest circuses. Perhaps one day she can learn to use her abilities properly, free of the restraints of a nobleman’s wife._

Ursa knew about Ty Lee; she lied, and she planned to ruin their lives. It was all part of her _scheme._

The shoe _fit._

Ursawas the reason Azula carried a blade to her coronation. It was hidden beneath her robes, so her first moments as Firelord appeared regal and gracious. 

Ursa was the reason Azula held that blade to the traitor’s neck. As the sky was painted a blood-red, Azula looked to it for strength. She had carefully placed any feelings she had– doubt was a weakness, nothing more– into a box. She locked it and melted the key. 

She had all the power she could ever hope for in that moment. Her inner flame burned larger, burned hotter, burned _brighter_ than ever before. She didn’t mind letting the traitor look back at her once more, give her a final look. Maybe she would say her final words, though it most likely wouldn’t matter in a day, or a month, or a year. Her name would be erased; the Fire Nation would not be tarnished with an _airbender_ in its history. 

She had locked the box and melted the key. That’s what Azula told herself over and over and over again. She needed to control herself. Control was the most vital aspect of firebending; no control makes you a time bomb, eventually responsible for your own demise.

And yet, as Ty Lee looked at her with those eyes that shined awfully bright despite their lack of color, and Azula looked back like _her_ life somehow depended on it (when really, it was the other way around). 

It seemed Azula’s control was slipping through her fingers like the dark Ember Island sand. Time froze, things moved slowly and blurry. This girl in front of her broke the hinges on the box. 

“Azula!” A voice called.

  
  
  


[...]

  
  
  


Azula slowly descended the steps of the Royal Palace. 

“Get on Appa and go far away,” Zuko instructed Katara. 

“That’s not the plan! I’m staying here!” Katara whisper-screamed back. 

“Fine,” Zuko compromised, “Ty Lee, you take Appa and go by yourself.” 

Despite how distraught she was, Ty Lee’s bearings on the situation were... not horrible. Sparing Ty Lee’s life and not following through on her first act as Firelord was dishonorable for Azula; upon hearing her traitor brother rightfully question her honor, she challenged him to an Agni Kai. Zuko accepted. 

“No! Zuko. I’m not– not going. Leaving.” The world was spinning just the slightest and she was using Katara as a crutch to not pass out so, naturally, it wasn’t convincing. 

Clearly, the prince was not in the mood to bicker. “Katara, get her far away.” 

The waterbender nodded once before leading Ty Lee a considerable distance away. Neither could see anything that happened in front of the palace. It was all _huge_ blasts of fire, blue and orange, battling one another.

Ty Lee witnessed them clash with the most fire she had ever seen. A familiar sense of dread– the one she had felt just days prior as they fought on the airship– grew in the pit of her stomach. These were siblings. A brother and a sister. As kids, they just teased one another; pulled hair, twisted wrists, scratched forearms, toasted skin. But never anything like this.

Somebody had to _win_ this time, if the constant death glare from Azula meant anything. 

Ty Lee’s parents had been disappointed when they learned she wasn’t a firebender because it lowered the chances of any kids she had being a firebender. At first she saw it as a virtue; fire was only destruction. But she knew better than that; she hoped she did, at least. 

The way the buildings burned around her really inclined Ty Lee to believe fire meant destruction. 

As Katara worriedly drew closer to the fight, Ty Lee absentmindedly followed. With each minute she grew more aware of her surroundings. 

“No lightning today? What’s the matter, afraid I’ll redirect it?”

Count on Zuko to be a dumbass. 

Azula grinned wickedly, drunk on power and pain. “Lightning? I’ll show you _lightning!”_

Azula charged up. Katara yelled at Ty Lee to stay put before running off. Zuko breathed in and out calmly, preparing for the lightning. Ty Lee didn’t listen to Katara’s instructions– because Zuko was her _friend_ and he could be in _trouble_ – and found herself to Zuko’s right, with maybe ten feet separating them. 

There she watched Azula’s fluid movements, gathering all her energy, until she brought her hands up to her chest and stopped moving. 

Ty Lee knew the nature of war. It claimed nations, lineages, lives. In small battles it grew hungrier, each victory claiming too much nothingness to even bear the title of _victory_. Bit by bit it all died. 

Something screamed to Ty Lee.

_Don’t just watch._

Zuko and Azula had been fighting a war, since the beginning of their time. This was nothing but a small battle. Whoever won this battle would have lost so much more–

_Don’t avoid it._

–Ty Lee couldn’t let them be consumed by it. She knew too well the feeling of exhaustion, the painfully sharp despair of fighting a hopeless war–

But Ty Lee’s war was over.

Or it was about to be.

**_Face it._ **

Azula shot the lightning forward, the final blow to a opponent numb and dizzy from war. Didn’t matter, because Ty Lee’s legs were bolting forward, closer and closer and closer, and then–

And then the world stopped spinning.

Felt like it, at least.

Energy surged through her body. 

Only _firebenders_ could redirect lightning. 

Stupid. Absolute idiot.

It felt like every single nerve in her body was yanked from the inside out, all at once yet all individually. 

Katara had never run so fast. Zuko had never widened his bad eye that much in three years. 

Azula had never fallen to her knees. She had never sobbed so hard that shakes racked her body.

Azula had never been so terrified to gaze upon something she had done. 

  
  
  


[...]

  
  
  


“Zuko…” Katara trailed off. “There’s barely any pulse.”

“What do you mean, there’s no–” Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose then completely put his face in his hands. _“Fuck!”_

“There’s still a pulse. But it’s tiny. Toph would be useful right now.” The Water Tribe girl looked up at him, apparently reading his mind. “This isn’t your fault, you know. There’s nothing you could have–”

“Yes, there _was!”_ The prince yelled. “I should have taken the lightning, not her! I should’ve told you guys to go far, far away. And you should have listened. Then this wouldn’t have happened. Fuck!” 

“What, and I would leave you here to die?”

“Yes!”

“No!” Now they were yelling. “What happened, happened! It’s over. Now, we deal with it.”

Zuko huffed in frustration and anger. She was right. Yelling wouldn’t heal Ty Lee any faster. Katara focused again on healing where the lightning had made contact, in the middle of her ribs. A scar would definitely form there.

The long silence that followed was agonizing. They didn’t know if the war would be over in a day, or doomed to continue until there was nothing left to fight for. They had no way to tell where their friends were, if Sokka and Toph and Suki and Aang were alright. It was easier to not talk about it. What would they say, anyway?

“There was this one advanced airbending move Aang told me about once,” Katara said, not bothering to look away from the limp, barely-alive girl lying in front of her. “Where he’d regulate the air in her system. Breathe for her. That would be nice right now.”

Zuko didn’t know how to reply, so instead he looked around. Everything around them was empty. Parts of the Royal Palace and the surrounding buildings were still burning. The sky was dark now, the moon a phase or two past full. 

“We should get her inside. I’ll keep healing her there.” The water stopped glowing and Katara sighed as she returned it to her water skin. “She’s alive, but it’s not looking good. I used all the spirit water I had on Aang after Ba Sing Se, and he’s a firebender! Combine that with the power of the comet…”

She trailed off and Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose. She didn’t need to say more; they both understood. 

Carefully, Zuko picked his friend up. She felt cold. 

With tired eyes he gazed at the traces of blue fire and thought of his sister.

Azula had completely broken down after hitting Ty Lee with lightning. By aiming for a waterbender, and hitting an airbender, she had lost the Agni Kai. If that mattered to her, she didn’t show it. Zuko had ordered some guards to take her to a temporary prison cell until they figured out what to do with her, and she didn't refuse. Any smidge of pride or dignity left in her turned to ashes. Azula officially saw herself as a monster. 

That thought occupied Zuko’s mind as he carried his friend across the pavement and into the palace. He deemed it not unlikely. Maybe he would speak to her, but he doubted she’d tell him anything.

It was a good thing he knew the palace corridors like the back of his hands, or it would have taken a long time to get Ty Lee to the palace’s medical wing. His muscles ached as he placed her in a random bed. Immediately Katara got to work healing her, even if that meant just keeping her alive.

The waterbender worked for an hour, letting the glowing water flow along her chi paths, down and back up again, in a rhythm. After that time, she spoke. 

“Take Appa and see if they’ve reached the meeting place. I’ll stay here.”

Zuko nodded once in affirmation and ran off to find Appa, a short distance from where the Agni Kai had taken place. Quickly he jumped onto his head and took the reigns, muttering a _yip yip_ and the bison was off. 

He waited at the meeting spot– a high point located just outside the natural walls of Caldera City– for what seemed like an eternity. Maybe checking on Katara would have been a good idea. 

Didn’t matter then, because he saw something in the distance. At first the dark dot was indistinct; after further inspection, Zuko figured out it was an airship. The way it slowly lowered toward the meeting place (and the unrecognizable figure frantically waving in very recognizable Sokka fashion) and the fact that it was on its own made it clear that it was a captured airship, commandeered by the group. 

It lowered to a space big enough to land, a little ways off from where Appa had been relaxing. 

“The Loserlord is _done for!”_ Sokka called as Suki helped him exit the ship. Suki was okay, Toph was okay, Sokka had what looked like a broken leg or something similar, and Aang was _alive,_ so that was all good news. 

Zuko didn’t want to know what _done for_ meant. Now wasn’t the time to ask. “Come on. We have to get back to the palace.” He ushered for them to get on Appa and they obliged. Aang sat in the saddle with everyone else. 

“Where’s Katara?“ Aang asked after a moment in the air. “Is she okay?” 

“Yes. She’s unharmed. She’s back at the palace.”

“Well, if she’s okay, why is she at the palace and not here?”

Before Zuko could answer, Suki interjected. “Where’s Ty Lee? Is she here?”

“She’s back at the palace. She’s… not fine. Something happened.” A sobering silence filled the air. You could grab the tension and slap it across the face.

That’s exactly what Toph did. “Well, what happened?”

Zuko’s hesitated for a beat, giving himself time. Agni, he was definitely going to get an earful for this one. “Azula struck her with lightning.” 

Everybody’s eyes widened as they landed. Suki didn’t say a word before hopping off of Appa and bolting into the palace, fully aware that she had no idea where she was going. Sokka yelled something to her about leaving the guy with a broken leg behind. 

The Avatar stared at him for a moment. “What?”

“I said, she got struck by lightning.”

“I heard what you said,” Aang looked down and then back up, a glint of anger in his eyes. But his voice didn’t reflect it. “How could you let that happen?”

“It’s not like I used her as a human shield,” Zuko said before backtracking, because that probably– no, _definitely–_ didn’t help his case, “If I had it any other way, _I_ would have taken the lightning, not her!” 

Aang stared at him for another moment before stepping off Appa. Zuko was about to follow him before hearing _uh, broken leg here, little help?_ from the boy next to him. Begrudgingly he helped his friend off the bison and into the palace, being reminded of that ache in his muscles. 

When the two reached the medical wing, Katara looked up from the girl she was treating and her eyes lit up in a way Zuko had never seen before. Sloppily she filled up her water skin and ran to her brother, encompassing him in a bear hug. He hugged her back and they stayed like that for a few seconds. Then the waterbender pulled away and led him to the bed next to Ty Lee that he sat upright in, deciding to comment on how uncomfortable ”these motherfuckers” were. 

Then Katara directed whatever energy she had left (not a lot) to hugging Aang. Then she trudged back over to where she had been sitting. Before she could even pull the water out of its container there was a hand on her shoulder. 

“You need to rest,” Suki said, sat in a chair she had pulled up next to Katara’s. 

“No, I’m okay. I’m barely even tired,” Katara replied. 

“You’re ly-ing,” Toph said in a sing-song voice after pulling her hand away from Ty Lee’s forearm, though it was closer to her wrist. “Just take a nap. I’ll tell you if anything happens with Bendy’s pulse. It’s barely there, but it’s steady.” 

The healer was about to object before Suki assured her and said, “She probably hasn’t improved much because it was so recently.” Then she grabbed her friend’s hand. “Give her some time and she’ll be fine.”

It was then that Zuko had started _really_ paying attention to Suki. She had been holding Ty Lee’s hand, and gazing upon her like her life depended on it. Her brow was lowered not in anger but in seriousness, her bottom lip being bitten and chewed on. It took a moment to realize she was trying not to cry. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ONE MORE CHAPTER YALLL AND THEN WE’RE DONEEEE OMG IT FEELS LIKE IT’S BEEN A WEEK SINCE I PUBLISHED THE FIRST CHAPTER!!!! thank u all for all the support <333


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I said it’s okay.” Mai’s vaguely shocked expression shifted to a small smile of reassurance. “I know how it was. How it still is, I guess.”
> 
> “Mai, what are you saying?”
> 
> “I’m saying that I understand. Just because the war has ended doesn’t mean its over.”
> 
> Ty Lee stared at her, thinking that maybe… she had a point. If anything could be guaranteed in war, it was that the final battle was never the end. Half of the fight was the aftermath.

It had been almost six weeks and Ty Lee hadn’t woken up.

Zuko’s advisors were getting irriated with him; he could only delay his coronation for so long (Ty Lee would kill him if she missed it). In the meantime, he had plenty to do. One of his priorities was freeing all those wrongfully imprisoned under Ozai’s rule, like the Kyoshi Warriors. They were scattered in prisons all around the Earth Kingdom, and though Zuko only traveled to the closest ones, Suki had been eager to come along and see her girls again. On the way, the idea had been proposed for the warriors to serve as Firelord Zuko’s personal guards while extreme Ozai loyalists were still being snuffed out of his council.

Aang, Katara, Toph and Sokka had been welcome to stay at the palace until the coronation. Toph was in no rush to get back to Gaoling any time soon, and made herself right at home in the palace– if that meant yelling all day about now the place needed some “renovations.” 

Aang didn’t mind it much, either. Spending time with Zuko was always a plus, even if he was impatient to start his search for other airbenders (the first step in slowly restoring the temples and preserving the culture, which he wouldn’t truly begin until Ty Lee woke up). Regardless, he was happy to spend time in the Fire Nation without the looming threat of the war.

It didn’t surprise anyone to see Aang so enthusiastically stay in the Fire Nation; that boy had enough hope in his heart to believe it could return to the way it was before the war. But that was because he was there before the war, he saw it himself– the same could not be said for Katara and Sokka. With each passing day they could be seen growing less and less comfortable. They wanted to go _home,_ to aid in the South’s reconstruction effort, and Zuko had to admit he felt a little guilty about asking them to stay.

Despite the fact Zuko hired volunteer healers from the Northern Water Tribe (many had been skeptical of the new Firelord, which he knew was completely fair), Katara still _insisted_ on doing many personal healing sessions with Ty Lee every few days. If nothing else, it gave her something to do while cooped up in the palace. 

That’s why she had been the first face Ty Lee had seen when she opened her eyes. Suki had been the second, after Katara had bolted through the palace corridors searching for her. 

In full Kyoshi Warrior gear, Suki pulled in her friend for a hug and let the tears of joy flow down her face. It left Ty Lee a bit in shock, at first, but after a moment she hugged back.

Suki wiped her tears away, slightly smudging her facepaint. She couldn’t find it in herself to care. “It’s so good to have you back. I knew you’d be okay. No one believed me.”

“Then they got a date with the Unagi,” Ty Lee joked.

With a giggle, Suki thought that maybe she’d rubbed off on her friend too much. “Oh, Ty Lee, there are so many things I need to tell you.” 

“Okay! Why not start with where we are?”

“We’re in the medical wing of the Fire Nation palace.”

Ty Lee nodded. “And why am I here?”

Suki’s expression faltered. “What, do you not remember? What’s the last thing you can remember?”

“Uh… staring up at the sky. The ground was really cold. Lots and lots of orange. But it’s all pretty fuzzy.”

“Don’t you remember what happened to you?” Ty Lee shook her head. “Well, I guess there’s no way to say it lightly. Uh, Ty Lee, you got struck by lightning _.”_

Ty Lee’s eyes went wide. “Really? Were you there to see it?”

Suki shook her head. “No. Me, Toph and Sokka were taking down some airships. It was cool as fuck, you totally should have been there.”

Ty Lee’s face dropped. “But I wasn’t.”

“It wasn’t your fault. Azula captured you.”

Ty Lee’s breath hitched at the recollection of that night on Ember Island. She didn’t want to think about it, not right now. 

Yet the question still clawed at her mind. “What… happened to Azula?”

“They held her in a temporary prison cell for a week or two. Just to figure out what to do with her. Since then, she’s had her own room in the palace. Zuko insisted she be treated like a person, not some caged animal.” Suki answered. 

“Oh, I hope she’s doing okay! How long has she been there?”

“Uh, maybe a month?”

Ty Lee dramatically gasped. “I was out for a month? Have I missed anything big?”

“Six weeks, actually. Ozai got defeated and he’s rotting in prison. Zuko is the new Firelord. That’s the biggest news I can think of.” 

Ty Lee wanted to laugh at Ozai’s fate. Instead she only smiled and muttered, “Good.”

Then the two settled into a comfortable silence. In a moment Ty Lee would ask where everyone else was, but she didn’t want to ruin this. For a few brief moments, she didn’t feel any weight on her shoulders.

The feeling didn’t last. Maybe it was a side effect of waking up from a lightning-induced coma, maybe it was something more, but her aura and her energy felt _off._ A specific, yet all familiar kind of _off._ It was the same kind of _off_ she had felt in the days before the comet, in that wannabe prison cell. It was too distinct of an energy– rather, a _disturbance_ in that energy– to not recognize. 

She thought back to then, to the conversation she had with Azula. Ty Lee had been so uncertain of her fate. And yet, even as the fallen princess’s shouts rang in her ears, she could tune them out.

If nobody else could, Ty Lee could see through the screams. She knew it wasn’t Azula speaking from her mind. No, it was Azula speaking from her heart. Such persistent and intense pain didn’t come out of nowhere.

If not for her conversation with her old friend, Ty Lee would have died uncertain. She would not have had peace. And now, she was supposed to be dead. But she wasn’t. There was no better word for this energy than _uncertain._

“Can I go see Azula?”

Suki snapped her head. “What? Why?”

“I want to make sure she’s doing okay.”

“If _she’s_ doing okay? It hasn’t even been half an hour since you woke up, maybe you should slow it down.” 

“No. I want to talk to her. I want her to know…” Ty Lee breathed in– took a moment to grab any resentful feelings that remained and let them go– and breathed out, “I forgive her.”

Suki’s grip on her fans tightened and she looked away. “It’s okay to hold a grudge, you know. She hurt you, badly.”

Ty Lee furrowed her brows at that; Suki never held grudges. “You should know better than anyone that that’s pointless. I could’ve been dead right now.”

“Yeah, you could have!” Suki rose her voice and turned back to her friend. “And it would have been because of _her!”_

Ty Lee had to remind herself that Suki wasn’t angry at her _._ It was just anger, rage that had had _months_ to boil over; it was only being _released_ now. She would rather it happen in front of her than anyone else, anyway. 

Still, old habits die hard. The tempation to remove herself from this situation, to _run,_ was still there. As familiar and _easy_ as it would have been to take a sharp turn and evade this conversation, she didn’t want to.

“Then it’s good that I’m alive to forgive her, right?” Ty Lee sat all the way up in her bed, a cold pain sprouting in her chest. She didn’t want to know, so she just ignored it and threw her legs over the side. 

In a quiet voice, she added, “I’m going to see her. You can’t stop me.”

“I know.” Suki sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Ty Lee mumbled, twisting her torso and attempting to get up, but only falling into her friend’s arms. The warrior took that chance to hug her friend, smearing her makeup once more. 

  
  
  


[...]

  
  
  


“I thought I’d never see you again,” Ty Lee mumbled into Mai’s shoulder. 

Mai didn’t usually hug back. She made an exception this time. “Me too.” 

They stayed like that for much longer than Ty Lee thought Mai ever could. It felt like hours; she could stay like that forever. 

It felt spiteful, doing this– doing _everything._ Being alive, breathing the air, feeling the wind on her fingertips. It felt wrong, _strange,_ but in a good way. She was never supposed to see Mai again. But she was seeing her _now,_ and…

Oh, Agni. She never told Mai the truth. 

A bitter feeling appeared in her chest. Maybe it was guilt? Probably. Maybe it was the horrible concept of Mai being mad to be the last person to know about her, thinking the sacrifices made for each other were in vain, believing that Ty Lee didn’t trust her enough to let _her_ in, of _all people–_

Yeah. It was guilt.

She tried to push down the feeling but it only grew worse and worse. She needed to tell Mai the truth, but how could she? How could she possibly justify years of lying? 

Mai pulled away first, placing her hands on her friend’s shoulders. “Ty Lee, are you crying? What’s wrong?”

She forgot it would be so obvious. She hadn’t cried in a while, let alone in front of Mai. But they were both here now, alone, and there was no better time _._ “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. I wanted to. I really, really, _really_ wanted to,” she sniffled, “and I feel horrible about lying all those years. I’m sorry.”

“About what?”

“I’m an airbender, they– like–” She took a step back and blasted air at the wall. She frowned at how weak it was _._

“Oh. Okay.”

Ty Lee wiped at her still tearful eyes. “Huh?”

“I said it’s okay.” Mai’s vaguely shocked expression shifted to a small smile of reassurance. “I know how it was. How it _still_ is, I guess.”

“Mai, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying that I understand. Just because the war has _ended_ doesn’t mean its _over_.”

Ty Lee stared at her, thinking that maybe… she had a point. If anything could be guaranteed in war, it was that the final battle was never the _end._ Half of the fight was the aftermath. 

“You’re not mad? At all?”

“I’m not mad. Trust me.”

Ty Lee nodded, tears gathering at her eyes again, and pulled Mai into another hug. “I think I can do that.” 

She didn’t care one bit that Mai didn’t hug back this time. She was too busy revelling in this euphoria, the lightness of her muscles when the weight of the world was no longer on her shoulders. It felt refreshing, such a calm reaction. No yelling or probing questions, just… steadiness. Mai’s strong suit.

“You know,” Mai said, and Ty Lee un-burrowed her face from the other girl’s neck. “The whole acrobatics thing makes a lot more sense now.” 

  
  
  


[...]

  
  
  


“So _what_ if I want to go see her? Why is everyone so baffled by this decision?”

“Because she almost killed you, Ty Lee.” It was ironic how calmly Zuko had said that as he tossed a bit of food to the turtleducks in their pond. 

“Yes, I know. I’ve only been made aware seventy-five times!” Ty Lee groaned in frustration and lied back, ignoring the dull pain in her chest. She took note of how soft the grass was. “Everyone keeps saying I could’ve been killed. But I _wasn’t!_ ” 

“Yes, I know.” 

“I don’t think you understand, Zuko. I’ve heard it from _everyone._ From Suki, and Katara, and Sokka, Aang, even _Toph!_ The only one who’s given me a break is Mai.”

Zuko shrugged. “That’s not surprising. You know how Mai is.” 

Ty Lee nodded and looked up at the sky; it changed with the minute. It was autumn now, and the sun was setting. “I just think that maybe we should stop being so mad at Azula for something she didn’t actually _do_. I’m here now and I’m _alive!_ Shouldn’t that be their focus?”

Zuko didn’t bother to look at her, his gaze fixed calmly on the turtleducks. “Uncle always said that human nature is to constantly focus on the _what-ifs._ So much so, that it can hinder our ability to see what’s happening in the moment.” 

“...Did he say anything else?”

“Yeah. He said that time is the best way to distance yourself. It was only yesterday that we had no idea if you’d ever wake up. Nobody wanted to lose you, but the possibility was very real.”

“Zuko…”

“I’m dragging on. I know. All I’m saying is that you were out a _long time._ It’s going to take a while for it to sink in that you’re actually okay. The more time that goes on, the easier it is to know that all the _what-ifs_ didn’t actually happen.” 

“Huh.” Ty Lee could only stare at the sky as a feeling of guilt washed over her. “Maybe I didn’t… maybe I didn’t fully realize how much I actually meant to you guys. I guess I had it in my head that you guys would be okay with my decision just because I already made peace with it. I’m sorry, Zuko.” 

“There’s nothing to apologize for. Even if there was, you have plenty of time to make up for it.”

They fell into silence. It was comfortable. The sky was almost dark now. 

Quieter, Ty Lee asked, “You know I always believed in you, right?”

“Hm?”

“Once you broke me out of prison I knew you wouldn’t turn back. You know, I was… _okay_ with dying as long as I died at peace. I could have peace as long as you knew I believed in you.” 

“You don’t have to die to make that point to me, Ty Lee. I _do_ care about you. I have since we were kids, even if you only hung out with Azula.”

Ty Lee giggled at the attempted joke and sighed. She looked up at her friend’s face, the scarred half of it, and saw him smile. And she thought that maybe he _has_ changed, but he’s still the same person he was years ago. 

  
  
  


[...]

  
  
  


“I want to see her now.” 

“Are you sure you’re ready?” 

It was a simple question. It should have had a simple answer. Here she stood, just by Azula’s door, debating whether she should go through with this. 

It was stupid, and she knew it. She would look like a fool, talking so much about seeing Azula, and then never going through with it. Would they call her a coward?

No. She had to do this. She couldn’t avoid Azula forever. It might be hard now, but that meant it would only get easier, she had to remind herself of this. So she inhaled and breathed the word. 

The door opened, and Ty Lee stepped into Azula’s room. It was scarcely decorated. It had a window, but it was near the ceiling and too narrow to climb through. The bed was lavish, fitting for a princess even after she’s fallen. There was a bookshelf on one side of the wall, a full length mirror and a wardrobe on the other. It was a cozy little room. 

Azula was sitting on her bed, legs crossed, calmly reading a book. When she looked up at Ty Lee her eyebrows furrowed just the littlest bit. Almost like she was disappointed to see her refused to show it. 

Surprisingly, Azula initiated the conversation. “You’re awake, I see.” 

“Yeah, I am.” _Hello to you, too,_ Ty Lee thought. “Uh, how’s your room…?”

“It isn’t too bad. There are lots of books to read, that’s nice. The lighting isn’t as bad as you’d think.” Then she looked back down to her book. 

Ty Lee was… confused. Something was off here. Last time she saw Azula, she’d been yelling and screaming, trying to murder her brother. And now here she was not even two months later, sitting peacefully and reading. It felt too fast. It felt _artificial_.

Azula wouldn’t appreciate Ty Lee beating around the bush. So she went straight for it. 

“I just came here to say that I forgive you. I don’t even know if you’re sorry, but I forgive you.” 

Azula looked back up, her neat topknot wiggling the slightest bit. This time the expression on her face was confusion, and a little bit of shock. “Why?”

“What– are you asking me _why?”_

Azula nodded and repeated herself, “Why?” 

Ty Lee probably should have expected that question. “I don’t know. It just… felt right. I would never find peace if I held a grudge against you. I couldn’t just abandon you, not while you were at your worst.” Ty Lee took a few steps toward the bed and rose her eyebrow, wordlessly asking if she could sit. With a small grunt of pain from her chest, she sat.

“I did that to you, didn’t I?” Azula asked. 

“Huh? What are you talking about?” 

“Is there a scar there?” The girl inquired. Ty Lee only nodded. She seemed so small now. The _P_ _rincess of the Fire Nation’s_ foreboding presence had been replaced with that of a girl, barely fifteen, sitting in her bedroom and chatting with her friend. For the first time in her life Azula seemed _scared._ “Just so you know, I am… sorry.” 

“Thank you, Azula.” Ty Lee placed her hand on the other girl’s knee, but retracted it after receiving a look that clearly indicated she didn’t wish to be touched. “It means a lot to me.”

“How?” Ty Lee raised an eyebrow, so Azula elaborated. “I’ve hurt you. I’ve _killed_ you. How could you _possibly_ forgive that?”

“Because I know what if feels like to hurt people. I hurt _you_.” Ty Lee sighed. “But I had people on my side. You deserve to have people on your side, too.” 

“I’ll just hurt you again, can’t you _see?_ I’ve done it so many times before. You know that better than anyone.”

Ty Lee realized it then. Maybe it was clearer right now, when she had no one to prove her strength to, but with those words it all made sense: 

_Azula was afraid of_ _**herself.**_

“Who says you will?”

“It’s in my nature.” Azula looked down to her lap. ”I hurt people. It’s all I’m good for, all that I _am.”_

Ty Lee only scooted closer to her. It reminded her of being children, of climbing on trees and making fun of the guards and meditating after nightmares. 

“It doesn’t have to be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that’s it guys!!!!! the entire fic. this chapter was a bit shorter than the others, i just didn’t feel it needed to be. i think it’s a good ending for this rollercoaster of a fic, but let me know what u think!!! (comments are greatly appreciated like always.)
> 
> anyways, i can barely express how grateful i am for all for the support you’ve given me, so thank you!!! i still have so much to say about this fic and the work that went into it, so i’d be delighted to answer anything related to it. my twitter is @ahsokatara and my tumblr is @coveredinsun if u wanna talk about it with me!!!!! without further ado, thank u for reading this fic i love youuu mwah


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